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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Monitoring Bone Health after Spaceflight: Data Mining to Support an Epidemiological Analysis of Age-related Bone Loss in Astronauts

Through the epidemiological analysis of bone data, HRP is seeking evidence as to whether the prolonged exposure to microgravity of low earth orbit predisposes crewmembers to an earlier onset of osteoporosis. While this collaborative Epidemiological Project may be currently limited by the number of ISS persons providing relevant spaceflight medical data, a positive note is that it compares medical data of astronauts to data of an age-matched (not elderly) population that is followed longitudinally with similar technologies. The inclusion of data from non-ISS and non-NASA crewmembers is also being pursued. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide critical information for NASA to understand the impact of low physical or minimal weight-bearing activity on the aging process as well as to direct its development of countermeasures and rehabilitation programs to influence skeletal recovery. However, in order to optimize these results NASA needs to better define the requirements for long term monitoring and encourage both active and retired astronauts to contribute to a legacy of data that will define human health risks in space.

Baker, K. S,↗
NASA NTRS2012

Executive Summary of Propulsion on the Orion Abort Flight-Test Vehicles

The NASA Orion Flight Test Office was tasked with conducting a series of flight tests in several launch abort scenarios to certify that the Orion Launch Abort System is capable of delivering astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment, away from a failed booster. The first of this series was the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle, which was successfully flown on May 6, 2010 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This paper provides a brief overview of the three propulsive subsystems used on the Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle. An overview of the propulsive systems originally planned for future flight-test vehicles is also provided, which also includes the cold gas Reaction Control System within the Crew Module, and the Peacekeeper first stage rocket motor encased within the Abort Test Booster aeroshell. Although the Constellation program has been cancelled and the operational role of the Orion spacecraft has significantly evolved, lessons learned from Pad Abort 1 and the other flight-test vehicles could certainly contribute to the vehicle architecture of many future human-rated space launch vehicles.

Jones, Daniel S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Executive Summary of Propulsion on the Orion Abort Flight-Test Vehicles

The NASA Orion Flight Test Office was tasked with conducting a series of flight tests in several launch abort scenarios to certify that the Orion Launch Abort System is capable of delivering astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment, away from a failed booster. The first of this series was the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle, which was successfully flown on May 6, 2010 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This paper provides a brief overview of the three propulsive subsystems used on the Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle. An overview of the propulsive systems originally planned for future flight-test vehicles is also provided, which also includes the cold gas Reaction Control System within the Crew Module, and the Peacekeeper first stage rocket motor encased within the Abort Test Booster aeroshell. Although the Constellation program has been cancelled and the operational role of the Orion spacecraft has significantly evolved, lessons learned from Pad Abort 1 and the other flight-test vehicles could certainly contribute to the vehicle architecture of many future human-rated space launch vehicles.

Jones, Daniel S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Executive Summary of Propulsion on the Orion Abort Flight-Test Vehicles

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Orion Flight Test Office was tasked with conducting a series of flight tests in several launch abort scenarios to certify that the Orion Launch Abort System is capable of delivering astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment, away from a failed booster. The first of this series was the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle, which was successfully flown on May 6, 2010 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This report provides a brief overview of the three propulsive subsystems used on the Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle. An overview of the propulsive systems originally planned for future flight-test vehicles is also provided, which also includes the cold gas Reaction Control System within the Crew Module, and the Peacekeeper first stage rocket motor encased within the Abort Test Booster aeroshell. Although the Constellation program has been cancelled and the operational role of the Orion spacecraft has significantly evolved, lessons learned from Pad Abort 1 and the other flight-test vehicles could certainly contribute to the vehicle architecture of many future human-rated space launch vehicles

Jones, Daniel S.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Propulsion Overview of the Orion Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) Flight-Test Vehicle

The NASA Orion Flight Test Office was tasked with conducting a series of flight tests in several launch abort scenarios to certify that the Orion Launch Abort System is capable of delivering astronauts aboard the Orion Crew Module to a safe environment, away from a failed booster. The first of this series was the Orion Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle, which was successfully flown on May 6, 2010 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This presentation provides a concise overview of the three propulsive subsystems used on the Pad Abort 1 Flight-Test Vehicle. Although the Constellation program has been cancelled and the operational role of the Orion spacecraft has significantly evolved, lessons learned from Pad Abort 1 could certainly contribute to the vehicle architecture of many future human-rated space launch vehicles

Jones, Daniel S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Biology IS the Technology: the Microbial Ecology of Space Food Production and the Power of Aquaponics as a Learning Tool

To accomplish the objective of human missions to Mars and/or the long-term colonization of the moon, bioregenerative life support systems and food production systems will be absolutely necessary. Microbes are an essential and unavoidable component of these systems. In fact, these systems are driven by complex microbial communities about which we know very little, a glaring strategic knowledge gap in our ability to support extended human exploration in closed systems. Our laboratory has been working to use molecular ecological methods, including nanopore sequencing technology already deployed on the International Space Station, to understand the microbes in food production systems on Earth. Our ultimate goal is to inform the implementation of food production systems off-world. To date, we have sampled and sequenced the microbiomes of aquaponics systems, hydroponics systems, and fish ponds. Our results have revealed that the microbial communities in these systems are extremely diverse, and highly variable between systems. Along the way, we have discovered the power of aquaponics systems as teaching tools, and the capacity of students to perform high quality citizen science. By designing, constructing, and operating aquaponics systems, students better understand the role of microbes in the cycling of the elements in natural ecosystems, and in the human built environment. In partnership with schools and colleges, contributing new knowledge as citizen scientists, we are now exploring the relationships between the functioning of these systems and their microbial flora.

Bebout, Brad↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards a Characterization of Scheduling Task Complexity

Future long-duration missions will require astronauts to act more autonomously, manage their schedules, and replan timelines as anomalies and discoveries occur. Astronauts are not professional planners, however, and the complexity of schedules that novice planners can complete successfully is not fully understood. To identify the primary factors which contribute to scheduling task complexity, we conducted a human-in-the-loop study and developed planning algorithms to investigate how the type and amount of constraints affect the difficulty of scheduling and rescheduling. We created rankings of difficulty using a combination of human performance metrics from experimental planning tasks and metrics describing the final plans that participants scheduled. Using the results of our scheduling and rescheduling algorithm algorithms, we created a similar ranking with which to compare. We created rankings which compared well between the experimental and algorithm results for the scheduling task, but the rescheduling task proved more difficult to estimate.

scheduling↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards a Characterization of Scheduling Task Complexity

Future long-duration missions will require astronauts to act more autonomously, manage their schedules, and replan timelines as anomalies and discoveries occur. Astronauts are not professional planners, however, and the complexity of schedules that novice planners can complete successfully is not fully understood. To identify the primary factors which contribute to scheduling task complexity, we conducted a human-in-the-loop study and developed planning algorithms to investigate how the type and amount of constraints affect the difficulty of scheduling and rescheduling. We created rankings of difficulty using a combination of human performance metrics from experimental planning tasks and metrics describing the final plans that participants scheduled. Using the results of our scheduling and rescheduling algorithm algorithms, we created a similar ranking with which to compare. We created rankings which compared well between the experimental and algorithm results for the scheduling task, but the rescheduling task proved more difficult to estimate.

scheduling↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling Spacecraft Power Systems Using the SPACE Code

The NASA Glenn Research Center’s Power Architecture and Analysis Branch performs spacecraft electrical power system (EPS) performance analysis using the System Power Analysis for Capability Evaluation (SPACE) model. Accurately predicting EPS performance requires a wide range of inputs, including the spacecraft’s position, attitude, solar array temperature, load demand, and data on the EPS itself. By operating as a combined analysis tool with integrated orbit mechanics, attitude, shadowing, thermal, solar array, battery, and electrical component models, SPACE provides flexibility for the analyst to examine various scenarios without a time-consuming iterative process involving separate analysis tools and groups. SPACE also achieves short run times by tailoring the complexity of the included models, providing enough fidelity to ensure accurate EPS performance predictions without being bogged down by unnecessary detail. These advantages that SPACE has over similar power system models has contributed to its successful use on a variety of human spaceflight programs for over three decades, and makes it applicable across the development cycle from early conceptual design up through on-orbit operations.

Electrical Power System↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Using Machine Learning to Estimate Surface-Level SO2 Concentrations from Satellite-Based Measurements

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a criteria air pollutant due to its contributions to aerosol formation, rainfall acidification, and harm to human health. The placement of air quality monitoring sites is typically biased towards urban areas, leaving large areas with very limited monitoring data. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) has been used to provide estimates of SO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) globally at spatial resolution of 10s of kms once per day. OMI SO2 VCDs have been previously used to estimate surface SO2 concentrations using chemical transport model (CTM) simulations. The CTMs use estimated emissions and assimilated meteorological data, and simulate the chemical and physical processes that determine the vertical profile of SO2, which can be used to derive a ratio between the surface concentrations and VCDs. These models are complex, computationally expensive, and have large uncertainties in the simulated surface-to-VCD ratio due to biases in emissions and relatively coarse resolution. Machine learning techniques are comparatively easier to use, much less computationally expensive to use after training, and can produce more accurate estimations of surface concentrations than the CTM-based method. The interpretation of machine learning models often poses challenges, and in some cases, non-physical variables unrelated to SO2 are used as predictors. In this work, we create an artificial neural network (ANN) to relate OMI retrievals and archived GEOS-FP boundary layer heights to surface SO2 concentrations from the ChinaHighAirPollutants ChinaHighSO2 dataset (CHAP; Wei et al., 2023) on a seasonal average timescale from 2013-2018. Our model only utilizes five variables that are directly relevant to the satellite retrieval, lifetime, and spatial distribution of SO2. The model was trained on 16 seasons (four of each) with independent validation (one of each season) and testing datasets (one of each season) to avoid overfitting. Our ANN generates surface SO2 concentrations that are sensitive (slope = 0.51) and consistent (r = 0.74) with the CHAP data, but are underpredicted by an average of 1.2 ppbv with a mean absolute error of 2.2 ppbv. These results are better than recent studies utilizing the CTM method. To our knowledge, this is the best performing machine learning model that only uses physical variables to predict surface SO2. Our work demonstrates that a carefully constructed, simple ML model can accurately estimate surface-based SO2 concentrations from satellite VCD measurements, and this technique has future promise to expend to newer, higher resolution satellites and other air pollutants.

SO2, air quality, OMI, machine learning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing Satellite-Assisted Particulate Matter (SAPM) Estimates over India for the MIRA Working Group

The Models, In Situ, and Remote Sensing of Aerosols (MIRA) Working Group is an international collective that encourages collaboration among researchers from these three atmospheric aerosol communities. MIRA currently comprises five interdisciplinary and independently funded Topic Groups, each with specific goals, and involves requests for additional scientific datasets. The Satellite-Assisted Particulate Matter (SAPM) Topic Group, as part of MIRA, focuses on studying particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) due to its significant contribution to air pollution and its harmful effects on human health. While the annual mean PM2.5 levels are typically low (~5-15 μg/m³) across most of the contiguous United States (CONUS), other countries experience much higher concentrations (e.g., India). SAPM aims to compare different methods and techniques for obtaining surface PM2.5 proxies using spaceborne passive and active remote sensors, aerosol models, and in situ measurements. Ultimately, SAPM aims to provide more extensive coverage of PM2.5 concentrations than what is currently available from in situ ground stations, which are limited in some parts of the CONUS and large regions worldwide. Current SAPM members are exploring PM2.5 estimation techniques using active sensors. This presentation offers an overview of these techniques and highlights the strengths and limitations of each approach. These techniques include 1) spaceborne lidar (CALIOP: Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) alone, and 2) a combination of spaceborne lidar (CATS: Cloud Aerosol Transport System) and a global aerosol transport model (GEOS: Goddard Earth Observing System). Additionally, we present a case study featuring our SAPM research in India, a country with high levels of PM2.5 concentrations (i.e., state-level annual means of ~100-200 μg/m³). Consistent spatial patterns in PM2.5 over India are found from the in situ data, CALIOP-based, and CATS/model-based methods, with the highest concentrations found in northern India near New Delhi. The gridded PM2.5 analysis yields high R values between in situ and CATS/model (~0.7) and between in situ and CALIOP nighttime (~0.9), as well as good agreement between CATS/model and CALIOP nighttime PM2.5 estimates (R = ~0.8 and slope = ~0.9). For current and future efforts, the SAPM Topic Group is actively seeking new collaborators, especially those working with in situ aerosol measurements, and is interested in acquiring additional aerosol datasets to improve and validate the PM2.5 proxies.

Travis D Toth↗
NASA NTRS2008

On the Shoulders of Giants - Apollo's Contribution to Ares

It has been over 35 years since NASA developed new human spaceflight capabilities. As NASA builds vehicles to once again venture beyond Earth's orbit, it has the advantage of a powerful legacy of seasoned professionals who have already been there. Apollo-era veterans are lending their knowledge and expertise to nearly every aspect of the new Ares I crew launch vehicle and the Ares V cargo launch vehicle, from management to design and manufacturing techniques. Through group discussions, personal interviews, and consultant relationships, these talented individuals are sharing their "lessons lived" to help a new generation of engineers repeat the successes and avoid some of the pitfalls of America's first journeys to the Moon. In addition to learning from resident and retired experts, Ares will draw on legacy facilities, tooling, and hardware like the J-2 engine from the Apollo era and the Reusable Solid Rocket Boosters from the Space Shuttle Program. NASA needs to re-learn the skills required to send astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The new Ares team is training with the best and building on the work of their eminent predecessors. They are standing on the shoulders of giants to see a future that is bright with possibilities on the space frontier.

Cook, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Crew Resource Management for Automated Teammates (CRM-A)

Crew Resource Management (CRM) is the application of human factors knowledge and skills to ensure that teams make effective use of all resources. This includes ensuring that pilots bring in opinions of other teammates and utilize their unique capabilities. CRM was originally developed 40 years ago in response to a number of airline accidents in which the crew was found to be at fault. The goal was to improve teamwork among airline cockpit crews. The notion of "team" was later expanded to include cabin crew and ground resources. CRM has also been adopted by other industries, most notably medicine. Automation research now finds itself faced with similar issues to those faced by aviation 40 years ago: how to create a more robust system by making full use of both the automation and its human operators. With advances in machine intelligence, processing speed and cheap and plentiful memory, automation has advanced to the point that it can and should be treated as a teammate to fully take advantage of its capabilities and contributions to the system. This area of research is known as Human-Autonomy Teaming (HAT). Research on HAT has identified reusable patterns that can be applied in a wide range of applications. These patterns include features such as bi-directional communication and working agreements. This paper will explore the synergies between CRM and HAT. We believe that HAT research has much to learn from CRM and that there are benefits to expanding CRM to cover automation.

Crew Resource Management↗
NASA NTRS2021

Spatiotemporal Methane Emissions from Global Reservoirs

Methane (CH4) is a greenhouse gas which contributes significantly to global warming and has atmospheric concentrations which have increased considerably in the last few decades, primarily due to human-induced emissions. Natural sources such as wetlands and inland aquatic systems (i.e., reservoirs, lakes, rivers) contribute substantially to global emissions but these natural systems comprise the most uncertain components of the CH4 budget. This study addresses multiple gaps and uncertainties associated with global CH4 emissions from reservoirs and undertakes a spatial and temporal assessment of global reservoir emissions. The results from this study suggest that reservoirs occupy a global area about 300,000 km2 (comparable to the size of the country of Italy) and emit 10.1 Tg CH4 yr-1. We identify data and methodological elements of previous estimates that indicate they may overestimate these emissions. This work provides a suite of global data sets, gridded at 0.25° × 0.25°, considering reservoir surface area, spatial distribution, eco-climatic system type, and the full annual cycle of daily CH4 emissions.

Spatiotemporal↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Art and Science of Systems Engineering

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958, and its Marshall Space Flight Center was founded in 1960, as space-related work was transferred from the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal, where Marshall is located. With this heritage, Marshall contributes almost 50 years of systems engineering experience with human-rated launch vehicles and scientific spacecraft to fulfill NASA's mission exploration and discovery. These complex, highly specialized systems have provided vital platforms for expanding the knowledge base about Earth, the solar system, and cosmos; developing new technologies that also benefit life on Earth; and opening new frontiers for America's strategic space goals. From Mercury and Gemini, to Apollo and the Space Shuttle, Marshall's systems engineering expertise is an unsurpassed foundational competency for NASA and the nation. Current assignments comprise managing Space Shuttle Propulsion systems; developing environmental control and life support systems and coordinating science operations on the International Space Station; and a number of exploration-related responsibilities. These include managing and performing science missions, such as the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter slated to launch for the Moon in April 2009, to developing the Ares I crew launch vehicle upper stage and integrating the vehicle stack in house, as well as designing the Ares V cargo launch vehicle and contributing to the development of the Altair Lunar Lander and an International Lunar Network with communications nodes and other infrastructure.

Singer, Christopher E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Vestibulosympathetic reflex during orthostatic challenge in aging humans

Aging attenuates the increase in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and elicits hypotension during otolith organ engagement in humans. The purpose of the present study was to determine the neural and cardiovascular responses to otolithic engagement during orthostatic stress in older adults. We hypothesized that age-related impairments in the vestibulosympathetic reflex would persist during orthostatic challenge in older subjects and might compromise arterial blood pressure regulation. MSNA, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate responses to head-down rotation (HDR) performed with and without lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in prone subjects were measured. Ten young (27 +/- 1 yr) and 11 older subjects (64 +/- 1 yr) were studied prospectively. HDR performed alone elicited an attenuated increase in MSNA in older subjects (Delta106 +/- 28 vs. Delta20 +/- 7% for young and older subjects). HDR performed during simultaneous orthostatic stress increased total MSNA further in young (Delta53 +/- 15%; P < 0.05) but not older subjects (Delta-5 +/- 4%). Older subjects demonstrated consistent significant hypotension during HDR performed both alone (Delta-6 +/- 2 mmHg) and during LBNP (Delta-7 +/- 2 mmHg). These data provide experimental support for the concept that age-related impairments in the vestibulosympathetic reflex persist during orthostatic challenge in older adults. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with the concept that age-related alterations in vestibular function might contribute to altered orthostatic blood pressure regulation with age in humans.

Clinical Trial↗
NASA NTRS2006

Electronics Shielding and Reliability Design Tools

It is well known that electronics placement in large-scale human-rated systems provides opportunity to optimize electronics shielding through materials choice and geometric arrangement. For example, several hundred single event upsets (SEUs) occur within the Shuttle avionic computers during a typical mission. An order of magnitude larger SEU rate would occur without careful placement in the Shuttle design. These results used basic physics models (linear energy transfer (LET), track structure, Auger recombination) combined with limited SEU cross section measurements allowing accurate evaluation of target fragment contributions to Shuttle avionics memory upsets. Electronics shielding design on human-rated systems provides opportunity to minimize radiation impact on critical and non-critical electronic systems. Implementation of shielding design tools requires adequate methods for evaluation of design layouts, guiding qualification testing, and an adequate follow-up on final design evaluation including results from a systems/device testing program tailored to meet design requirements.

Wilson, John W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Integrated human-machine intelligence in space systems

The integration of human and machine intelligence in space systems is outlined with respect to the contributions of artificial intelligence. The current state-of-the-art in intelligent assistant systems (IASs) is reviewed, and the requirements of some real-world applications of the technologies are discussed. A concept of integrated human-machine intelligence is examined in the contexts of: (1) interactive systems that tolerate human errors; (2) systems for the relief of workloads; and (3) interactive systems for solving problems in abnormal situations. Key issues in the development of IASs include the compatibility of the systems with astronauts in terms of inputs/outputs, processing, real-time AI, and knowledge-based system validation. Real-world applications are suggested such as the diagnosis, planning, and control of enginnered systems.

Boy, Guy A.↗