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Reference earth orbital research and applications investigations (blue book). Volume 8: Life sciences

The functional program element for the life sciences facilities to operate aboard manned space stations is presented. The life sciences investigations will consist of the following subjects: (1) medical research, (2) vertebrate research, (3) plant research, (4) cells and tissue research, (5) invertebrate research, (6) life support and protection, and (7) man-system integration. The equipment required to provide the desired functional capability for the research facilities is defined. The goals and objectives of each research facility are described.

Source record↗

Life Sciences Laboratories for the Shuttle/Spacelab

Space Shuttle and Spacelab missions will provide scientists with their first opportunity to participate directly in research in space for all scientific disciplines, particularly the Life Sciences. Preparations are already underway to ensure the success of these missions. The paper summarizes the results of the 1975 NASA-funded Life Sciences Laboratories definition study which defined several long-range life sciences research options and the laboratory designs necessary to accomplish high-priority life sciences research. The implications and impacts of Spacelab design and development on the life sciences missions are discussed. An approach is presented based upon the development of a general-purposs laboratory capability and an inventory of common operational research equipment for conducting life sciences research. Several life sciences laboratories and their capabilities are described to demonstrate the systems potentially available to the experimenter for conducting biological and medical research.

Schulte, L. O.↗

Computed Tomography Scanning and Geophysical Measurements of the Patterson #5-25 Well in Western Kansas

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) site in Morgantown, West Virginia, were used to characterize core from the Patterson Field site. This core came from a vertical well (Patterson #5-25 well) that was obtained as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Integrated Midcontinental Stacked Carbon Storage Hub. The primary impetus of this work is a collaboration between NETL and the Kansas Geological Survey to characterize core from the Patterson Field site. The 625 ft of whole core from the Atoka Formation to Precambrian Basement was characterized at NETL. As part of this effort, bulk scans of core were obtained. This report, and the associated scans, provide detailed datasets not typically made publicly available for carbon capture utilization and storage analysis. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/patterson-5-25-well. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. None of the equipment used was suitable for direct visualization of the shale pore space, although fractures and discontinuities were detectable with the methods tested. Low resolution CT imagery with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on the entire core. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with x-ray fluorescence (XRF), P-wave, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL are useful in identifying zones of interest for more detailed analysis as well as fractured zones. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provided a multi-scale analysis of this core and provided both a macro and micro description of the core that is relevant for many subsurface energy related examinations that have traditionally been performed at NETL.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Miniature Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

Major advances must occur to protect astronauts from prolonged periods in near-zero gravity and high radiation associated with extended space travel. The dangers of living in space must be thoroughly understood and methods developed to reverse those effects that cannot be avoided. Six of the seven research teams established by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are studying biomedical factors for prolonged space travel to deliver effective countermeasures. To develop effective countermeasures, each of these teams require identification of and quantitation of complex pharmacological, hormonal, and growth factor compounds (biomarkers) in humans and in experimental animals to develop an in-depth knowledge of the physiological changes associated with space travel. At present, identification of each biomarker requires a separate protocol. Many of these procedures are complicated and the identification of each biomarker requires a separate protocol and associated laboratory equipment. To carry all of this equipment and chemicals on a spacecraft would require a complex clinical laboratory; and it would occupy much of the astronauts time. What is needed is a small, efficient, broadband medical diagnostic instrument to rapidly identify important biomarkers for human space exploration. The Miniature Time-Of- Flight Mass Spectrometer Project in the Technology Development Team is developing a small, high resolution, time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) to quantitatively measure biomarkers for human space exploration. Virtues of the JHU/APL TOFMS technologies reside in the promise for a small (less than one cubic ft), lightweight (less than 5 kg), low-power (less than 50 watts), rugged device that can be used continuously with advanced signal processing diagnostics. To date, the JHU/APL program has demonstrated mass capability from under 100 to beyond 10,000 atomic mass units (amu) in a very small, low power prototype for biological analysis. Further, the electronic nature of the TOFMS output makes it ideal for rapid telemetry to earth for in-depth analysis by ground support teams.

Potember, Richard S.↗

Analysis of the Ability of United States and Russian Trace Contaminant Control Systems to Meet U.S. 180-Day and Russian 360-Day Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations

As the Space Station Freedom program transitioned to become the International Space Station (ISS), uncertainty existed concerning the performance capabilities for U.S.- and Russian-provided trace contaminant control (TCC) equipment. In preparation for the first dialogue between NASA and Russian Space Agency personnel in Moscow, Russia, in late April 1994, an engineering analysis was conducted to serve as a basis for discussing TCC equipment engineering assumptions as well as relevant assumptions on equipment offgassing and cabin air quality standards. The analysis presented was conducted as part of the efforts to integrate Russia into the ISS program via the early ISS Multilateral Medical Operations Panel's Air Quality Subgroup deliberations. This analysis, served as a basis for technical deliberations that established a framework for TCC system design and operations among the ISS program's international partners that has been instrumental in successfully managing the ISS common cabin environment.

Perry, J. L.↗

Benefits, Consequences, and Uncertainties of Conventional (Exercise) Countermeasure Approaches

This presentation will review the pros, cons, and uncertainties of using exercise countermeasures in hypothetical long duration exploration missions. The use of artificial gravity and exercise will be briefly discussed. One benefit to continued use of exercise is related to our extensive experience with spaceflight exercise hardware and programming. Exercise has been a part of each space mission dating back to the 1960's when simple isometric and bungee exercises were performed in the Gemini capsule. Over the next 50 years, exercise hardware improved cumulating in today's ISS suite of exercise equipment: Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (CEVIS), Treadmill (T2) and Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). Today's exercise equipment is the most robust ever to be flown in space and allows the variety and intensity of exercise that might reasonably be expected to maintain muscle mass and function, bone density and cardiovascular fitness. A second benefit is related to the large body of research literature on exercise training. There is a considerable body of supporting research literature including >40,000 peer reviewed research articles on exercise training in humans. A third benefit of exercise is its effectiveness. With the addition of T2 and ARED to our ISS exercise suite, crew member outcomes on standard medical tests have improved. Additionally exercise has other positive side effects such as stress relief, possible improvement of immune function, improved sleep, etc. Exercise is not without its consequences. The major cons to performance of in‐flight exercise are the time and equipment required. Currently crew are scheduled 2.5 hrs/day for exercise and there is considerable cost to develop, fly and maintain exercise hardware. While no major injuries have been reported on ISS, there is always some risk of injury with any form of exercise There are several uncertainties going forward; these relate mostly to the development of small compact robust effective exercise devices for the next generation of space vehicles. It is becoming increasingly apparent that high intensity exercise is required for maintenance of fitness and functional capability and so future hardware will need to be developed, tested and implemented that allow for a wide variety of exercise, at high intensity while likely involving low mass, volume and power. There are many unanswered issues related to the minimum number and type of exercise devices required for exploration, optimizing exercise prescriptions for these devices, whether a treadmill is absolutely required, and even whether any single countermeasure can adequately protect muscle, bone, cardiovascular and sensorimotor function.

Ploutz-Snyder, Lori↗

Additive manufacturing for COVID-19: Devices, materials, prospects, and challenges

The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) where improvised manufacturing in particular 3D printing has addressed many needs. This prospective discusses the current global crisis, then follows the wide interest in addressing the shortage of medical devices and PPEs used for treatment and protection against pathogens. An overview of the 3D printing process with polymer materials is given followed by the different 3D printing projects of PPEs and medical devices that emerged for the pandemic (including validation/testing). The potential for rapid prototyping with different polymer materials and eventual high-throughput production is emphasized.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Past and future space flight experiments on man and their spin-off contribution to world health.

The manned space-flight program has created some requirements which were new to the practice of medicine. The remoteness of the patient made it necessary to provide sensing and transmitting capability for various physiologic functions. The space and weight penalties in a spacecraft required that such sensors and related equipment be miniaturized and of a noninterfering nature as far as the crewmen were concerned. The need for continually increasing flight durations created a requirement for a type of equipment reliability previously unknown to medicine. The requirement to protect the crewmen against the environment of space and provide a habitable spacecraft has produced a series of ground-based medical applications.

Berry, C. A.↗

Skylab mobile laboratory

The Skylab mobile laboratory was designed to provide the capability to obtain necessary data on the Skylab crewmen 30 days before lift-off, within 1 hour after recovery, and until preflight physiological baselines were reattained. The mobile laboratory complex consisted of six laboratories that supported cardiovascular, metabolic, nutrition and endocrinology, operational medicine, blood, and microbiology experiments; a utility package; and two shipping containers. The objectives and equipment requirements of the Skylab mobile laboratory and the data acquisition systems are discussed along with processes such as permanently mounting equipment in the individual laboratories and methods of testing and transporting the units. The operational performance, in terms of amounts of data collected, and the concept of mobile laboratories for medical and scientific experiments are evaluated. The Skylab mobile laboratory succeeded in facilitating the data collection and sample preservation associated with the three Skylab manned flights.

Primeaux, G. R.↗

Non-Traditional Displays for Mission Monitoring

Advances in automation capability and reliability have changed the role of humans from operating and controlling processes to simply monitoring them for anomalies. However, humans are traditionally bad monitors of highly reliable systems over time. Thus, the human is assigned a task for which he is ill equipped. We believe that this has led to the dominance of human error in process control activities such as operating transportation systems (aircraft and trains), monitoring patient health in the medical industry, and controlling plant operations. Research has shown, though, that an automated monitor can assist humans in recognizing and dealing with failures. One possible solution to this predicament is to use a polar-star display that will show deviations from normal states based on parameters that are most indicative of mission health.

Trujillo, Anna C.↗

Ultrasound in space

Physiology of the human body in space has been a major concern for space-faring nations since the beginning of the space era. Ultrasound (US) is one of the most cost effective and versatile forms of medical imaging. As such, its use in characterizing microgravity-induced changes in physiology is being realized. In addition to the use of US in related ground-based studies, equipment has also been modified to fly in space. This involves alteration to handle the stresses of launch and different power and cooling requirements. Study protocols also have been altered to accommodate the microgravity environment. Ultrasound studies to date have shown a pattern of adaptation to microgravity that includes changes in cardiac chamber sizes and vertebral spacing. Ultrasound has been and will continue to be an important component in the investigation of physiological and, possibly, pathologic changes occurring in space or as a result of spaceflight.

Review, Tutorial↗

Computed Tomography Scanning and Geophysical Measurements of the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Collab SURF Core

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize core from 8 wells from the Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) Collab project located in the Sanford Underground Research Facility’s (SURF) 4850 level. The work in this report falls in Experiment 1 in a three-phase experiment, with the primary purpose to increase understanding of hydraulic fracturing. The primary impetus of this work is a collaboration between U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the EGS Collab. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/surf-collab-core. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. None of the equipment used was suitable for direct visualization of the pore space in the core, although fractures and discontinuities were detectable with the methods tested. Low resolution CT imagery with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on the entire core. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), P-wave, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL were useful in identifying zones of interest for more detailed analysis as well as fractured zones. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provides a multi-scale analysis of the core; the resulting macro and micro descriptions are relevant to many subsurface energy related examinations traditionally performed at NETL.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Computed Tomography Scanning and Petrophysical Measurements of the Lively Grove #1 Well Core

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize core from the Lively Grove #1 Well (API 121892494700), drilled near Marissa, Washington County, Illinois. Core from the well was obtained as part of the Illinois Storage Corridor’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) project (DE FE0031892). The primary impetus of this work was to capture a detailed digital representation of the core from the Lively Grove #1 Well. The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) NETL and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) enables other research entities to access information about this potential carbon storage location and Cambro-Ordovician Storage Complex formations of the Illinois Basin. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. Fractures, discontinuities, and millimeter-scale features were readily detectable with the medical CT scanner-acquired images. Imaging with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on entire cores. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), gamma density, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL were useful in identifying zones of interest for potential future analysis. Higher-resolution industrial and micro-CT images were acquired from selected zones along the depth of the core to visualize the structure in higher detail. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provides a multi-scale analysis of the core; with the resulting macro- and micro-descriptions relevant to many subsurface energy related examinations traditionally performed at NETL.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Computed Tomography Scanning and Petrophysical Measurements of Eastern Williston Basin Twin Buttes and Hagel Formations

The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia, were used to characterize core from two wells that represent coal resources across North Dakota. These include the MC23080C Well in Mercer County and the 23-B001 Well in Oliver County. The primary impetus of this work was to capture a detailed digital representation of the core from the MC23080C and 23-B001 Wells. The collaboration between the NETL and the Energy and Environment Research Center (EERC) enables other research entities to access information about this potential carbon ore, rare earth, and critical mineral resource plays in the Williston Basin. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. Fractures, discontinuities, and millimeter-scale features were readily detectable with the medical CT scanner acquired images. Imaging with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on entire cores. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), gamma density, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL were useful in identifying zones of interest for potential future analysis. Higher-resolution industrial and micro-CT images were acquired from selected zones along the depth of the core to visualize the structure in higher detail. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provides a multi-scale analysis of the core, with the resulting macro- and micro-descriptions relevant to many subsurface energy-related examinations traditionally performed at NETL.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

NASA's Zero-g aircraft operations

NASA's Zero-g aircraft, operated by the Johnson Space Center, provides the unique weightless or zero-g environment of space flight for hardware development and test and astronaut training purposes. The program, which began in 1959, uses a slightly modified Boeing KC-135A aircraft, flying a parabolic trajectory, to produce weightless periods of 20 to 25 seconds. The program has supported the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and Shuttle programs as well as a number of unmanned space operations. Typical experiments for flight in the aircraft have included materials processing experiments, welding, fluid manipulation, cryogenics, propellant tankage, satellite deployment dynamics, planetary sciences research, crew training with weightless indoctrination, space suits, tethers, etc., and medical studies including vestibular research. The facility is available to microgravity research organizations on a cost-reimbursable basis, providing a large, hands-on test area for diagnostic and support equipment for the Principal Investigators and providing an iterative-type design approach to microgravity experiment development. The facility allows concepts to be proven and baseline experimentation to be accomplished relatively inexpensively prior to committing to the large expense of a space flight.

Williams, R. K.↗

Fluid handling 2: Surgical applications

The methods proposed for managing fluids and particulate debris during minor surgery on Space Station Freedom (SSF) were investigated and demonstrated. A KC-135 parabolic flight test was performed, in which the flight followed the standard 40 parabola profile with 20 to 25 seconds in near-zero gravity in each parabola. The equipment (suction and laminar flow device) was evaluated. While this equipment performed satisfactorily previously in the dental simulation, the purpose of the current flight was to reconfigure the equipment in support of a minor surgical situation in order to evaluate its efficacy and establish clear requirements for the actual flight hardware. To accomplish the study the Health Maintenance Facility medical restraint system was deployed as for surgical use and mannequin suture arm was restrained to its surface. The surgical area was established as for performing minor surgery with standard tray and suture instruments employed.

Billica, Roger↗

Tail Rotor Airfoils Stabilize Helicopters, Reduce Noise

Founded by former Ames Research Center engineer Jim Van Horn, Van Horn Aviation of Tempe, Arizona, built upon a Langley Research Center airfoil design to create a high performance aftermarket tail rotor for the popular Bell 206 helicopter. The highly durable rotor has a lifetime twice that of the original equipment manufacturer blade, reduces noise by 40 percent, and displays enhanced performance at high altitudes. These improvements benefit helicopter performance for law enforcement, military training, wildfire and pipeline patrols, and emergency medical services.

Source record↗

Plasma chemistry and its applications

The relationship between discharge phenomena and plasma chemistry, as well as the equipment and mechanisms of plasma chemical reactions are described. Various areas in which plasma chemistry is applied are surveyed, such as: manufacturing of semiconductor integrated circuits; synthetic fibers; high polymer materials for medical uses; optical lenses; and membrane filters (reverse penetration films).

Hozumi, K.↗