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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

The FIRE Cirrus Science Results 1993

FIRE (First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment) is a U.S. cloud-radiation research program that seeks to improve our basic understanding and parameterizations of cirrus and marine stratocumulus cloud systems and ISCCP data products. The FIRE Cirrus Science Conference was held in Breckenridge, CO, 14-17 Jun. 1993, to present results of cirrus research for the second phase of FIRE (1989-present) and to refine cirrus research goals and priorities for the next phase of FIRE (1994-future). This Conference Publication contains the text of short papers presented at the conference. The papers describe research analyses of data collected at the Cirrus Intensive Field Observations-2 field experiment conducted in Kansas, 13 Nov. - 7 Dec. 1991.

Mcdougal, David S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Solar heating of the Martian dusty atmosphere

This paper examines the solar heating of the Martian atmosphere during the 1971 global dust storm observed by Mariner 9. Radiative scattering as well as absorption is included by utilizing the delta-Eddington approximation to the full radiative transfer equation. The necessary optical parameters are generated by a Mie program which uses a size distribution and a complex refractive index inferred from a number of sources, particularly from recent analyses of Mariner 9 UVS and TV observations. When uniform mixing of the dust is assumed, the solar heating per unit mass during a Martian global dust storm is remarkably uniform with height for small solar zenith angles. Heating rates may reach 80 K/day for overhead sunlight. Overall, 20% of the direct insolation is absorbed by the dust-laden atmosphere. Even optically thin widespread dust hazes may produce heating rates of several degrees Kelvin per day.

Zurek, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The Seasat commercial demonstration program

The background and development of the Seasat commercial demonstration program are reviewed and the Seasat spacecraft and its sensors (altimeter, wind field scatterometer, synthetic aperture radar, and scanning multichannel microwave radiometer) are described. The satellite data distribution system allows for selected sets of data, reformatted or tailored to specific needs and geographical regions, to be available to commercial users. Products include sea level and upper atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, marine winds, significant wave heights, primary wave direction and period, and spectral wave data. The results of a set of retrospective case studies performed for the commercial demonstration program are described. These are in areas of application such as marine weather and ocean condition forecasting, offshore resource exploration and development, commercial fishing, and marine transportation.

Mccandless, S. W.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Separating Cloud and Drizzle Signals in Radar Doppler Spectra Using a Parametric Time Domain Method

The ability to separate cloud and drizzle returns in active remote sensing observations is important for understanding the microphysics of clouds and precipitation. Yet, robust separations remain challenging in radar remote sensing. Prior methods for cloud and drizzle separation for radar observations use the properties of the Doppler spectra such as skewness. However, these methods have challenges when the drizzle becomes dominant in the observation volume. This paper presents a parametric time domain method (PTDM) that separates cloud and drizzle using the Doppler spectra measurements without assuming any prior properties of cloud and drizzle. The advantage of PTDM is that it can estimate the signal properties in the time domain and can obtain the cloud and drizzle estimates simultaneously. Based on our radar signal simulations, the uncertainty in estimated power and velocity from PTDM are within 2 dB and 0.02 m s -1 , respectively. We have also evaluated the PTDM algorithm using observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program W-band cloud radar in the Clouds, Aerosols, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer (CAP-MBL) campaign at the Azores in 2009–10. Two cases corresponding to light and moderate drizzling conditions are considered for the study. The statistics of the estimates obtained show that the PTDM method performs well in separating the cloud and drizzle returns. Finally, the estimated cloud and drizzle reflectivity from PTDM were used to retrieve their corresponding microphysical properties, showing that the retrieved liquid water path agrees to 25 g m -2 with the benchmark microwave method.

Engineering↗
NASA NTRS1973

Remote sensing data management from a user's viewpoint

The author has identified the following significant results. An experimental data bank in conjunction with the National Marine Fisheries Service's Fisheries Engineering Laboratory's (FEL) participation in the ERTS-1 program was established. The data management system was demonstrated to be effective in the performance of the NMFS-FEL ERTS-1 experiment involving several input sources and varying user requirements. The system is to be further evaluated under similar conditions during FEL participation in the Skylab and ERTS-B experiments.

Stevenson, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Weight estimation of unconventional structures by structural optimization

Automated techniques are presented that are used in structural optimization technology, with emphasis on modifications of finite element models to obtain an optimal material distribution for minimum weight while satisfying the prescribed design requirements. It is anticipated that the future development of computer aided engineering (CAE) system will provide environments where structural analysis, a design optimization, and weight evaluation modules are integrated, sharing a common data base. Structural optimization capabilities obtained by integrating a finite element structural analysis program and a numerical optimization code are developed and applied to two illustrative examples: marine gear housing structural weight minimization and joined wing structures.

Miura, Hirokazu↗
NASA NTRS1985

Atmospheric Radiation Study

A model which simulates the sensitivity of satellite-measured solar radiation to changes in relative humidity was developed by AER under contract to the Office of Naval Research. AER uses the model to support meteorological analysis and evaluate the use of satellites in relation to marine aerosols/optical instrument reduction. During the project, AER utilized RADTMO, a COSMIC set of programs which computes scattered atmospheric radiation caused by aerosols.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

The NASA-LaRC Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) technology program

One of the main difficulties encountered in the design and implementation of control systems for spacecraft is the interaction between the control system and the flexibility of the vehicle. This difficulty has resulted in problems for a multitude of spacecraft including the earliest U.S. spacecraft, Explorer I; the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory III; Mariner 10; Galileo; and the Hubble Telescope. Recognizing the importance of the issue, NASA has an ongoing Controls-Structures Interaction (CSI) technology program to develop the methodology to design optimally and simultaneously both the control system and the structure. The CSI program is a multicenter program involving research teams from NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). JPL's area of interest is in optics-class vehicles and MSFC's in astrophysics vehicles. The aim of this paper is to explain the ongoing activities at LaRC, which are of a theoretical, ground test, and flight test nature, with focus on applications to spacecraft with multiple experiment-pointing mounts, large space radiometers, Space Station Freedom (SSF), and the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS).

Anderson, Willard W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Framework for Effective Science Communication and Outreach Strategies and Dissemination of Research Findings for Marine Energy Projects

Marine energy is an emerging renewable energy industry with the potential to produce 2300 terawatt-hours per year from resources within the United States. As development and testing of marine energy devices advance, regulatory and permitting decision-makers are concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the potential environmental effects resulting from the introduction of these novel devices in coastal and riverine environments. The Triton Initiative researches and provides recommendations for environmental monitoring technologies and methods to inform industry stakeholders with the data necessary to permit the testing of marine energy systems. Effective dissemination of the research findings is essential for improving the accessibility of data to stakeholders who may use the results to inform policy decisions, yet few frameworks for conducting science communications for marine energy projects exist. In this paper, we present tools, channels, and tactics for developing a science communication framework for marine energy projects, or similar areas of study, using the Triton Initiative’s pilot science communication program as a case study. By leveraging existing bodies of work in disciplines such as communications theory, marketing, public relations, and social science, the presented framework includes audience identification and analysis; channel development, including a website, blog, newsletter, social media, and webinars and presentations; and metrics for determining success. Outcomes from one year of Triton’s case study are presented, including the most effective tactics and lessons learned.

communication framework↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Utilizing Airborne and Space-Based Remote Sensing Imagery to Implement the Unvegetated-Vegetated Ratio to Assess Salt Marsh Vulnerability in South Carolina

Among the most productive ecosystems on earth, salt marshes provide crucial ecosystem services including water filtration, shoreline protection, storm surge buffering, and flood mitigation. Marshes are largely dependent on their sediment budget which can significantly vary across a region and can be used to determine the life span of the marsh. Upstream land use change near Charleston, South Carolina, along with rising sea levels, are expected to alter sediment budgets and threaten marsh stability and long-term health. The unvegetated-vegetated ratio (UVVR), developed by researchers at USGS, is a scalable and efficient method to assess vulnerability. The NASA DEVELOP National Program collaborated with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the United States Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center to apply the UVVR method within Google Earth Engine. Marsh vulnerability was analyzed using UVVR derived from clustering and manual interpretation of National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) high-resolution aerial imagery. NAIP derived UVVR was aggregated to Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) resolution and projection. A Random Forest Regression between Landsat derived data and UVVR was modeled to estimate a potential relationship. The estimation of this relationship was used to produce temporal change analysis maps of salt marsh vulnerability back to 1984. The NAIP imagery processed through Google Earth Engine allowed us to make detailed UVVR maps for 2009, 2015, 2017, and 2019 for decision making within South Carolina. Google Earth Engine scripting provided a novel approach to UVVR methodology that will allow decision makers to input new marsh regions and easily calculate marsh vulnerability without external data downloading. These results were used to understand what areas of the marsh need most resource allocation in the future.

NASA DEVELOP↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project: Bainbridge Island, Washington - Cohort 2 Technical Assistance: Pathways to 100% Renewable Energy

The City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) applied for and received technical assistance from the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP) in part to achieve their goal of 100% renewable electricity generation by 2040, five years ahead of the Washington State goal, and to increase its energy resilience in the face of natural disasters. To help address these goals, the City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) applied for and received technical assistance from the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP) during 2022-2024. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, ETIPP provides technical assistance to remote coastal and island communities interested in approaches to renewable and resilient energy transitions. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) completed the technical analysis aspects of the project, supported by the community partner Spark Northwest and the program administrator, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This report begins by describing the approach to technical assistance in the ETIPP project, followed by the development of future scenarios for electric demand based on current use. Potential pathways to 100% renewable energy are identified and analyzed by technology contributions from solar energy, anaerobic biodigestion, distributed wind, and marine energy. The combinations of these technologies and contributions to meet demand are discussed, along with potential policies and programs for implementation of the most relevant technologies moving forward. The report concludes with recommendations for next steps for COBI to meet the goal of 100% renewable energy generation by 2040 on- and off-island, and key caveats to consider.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1991

A kill curve for Phanerozoic marine species

A kill curve for Phanerozoic species is developed from an analysis of the stratigraphic ranges of 17,621 genera, as compiled by Sepkoski. The kill curve shows that a typical species' risk of extinction varies greatly, with most time intervals being characterized by very low risk. The mean extinction rate of 0.25/m.y. is thus a mixture of long periods of negligible extinction and occasional pulses of much higher rate. Because the kill curve is merely a description of the fossil record, it does not speak directly to the causes of extinction. The kill curve may be useful, however, to li inverted question markmit choices of extinction mechanisms.

NASA Discipline Number 52-40↗
DOE OSTI2026

The detection of marine microseismic activity with the CUORE tonne-scale cryogenic experiment

Vibrations from experimental setups and the environment are a persistent source of noise for low-temperature calorimeters searching for rare events, including neutrinoless double beta ( 0νββ ) decay or dark matter interactions. Such noise can significantly limit experimental sensitivity to the physics case under investigation. Here, we report the detection of marine microseismic vibrations using mK-scale calorimeters. This study employs a multi-device analysis correlating data from CUORE, the leading experiment in the search for 0νββ decay with mK-scale calorimeters, and the Copernicus Earth Observation program, revealing the seasonal impact of Mediterranean Sea activity on CUORE’s energy thresholds, resolution, and sensitivity over four years. The detection of marine microseisms underscores the need to address faint environmental noise in ultra-sensitive experiments. Understanding how such noise couples to the detector and developing mitigation strategies is essential for next-generation experiments. We demonstrate one such strategy: a noise decorrelation algorithm implemented in CUORE using auxiliary sensors, which reduces vibrational noise and improves detector performance. Enhancing sensitivity to 0νββ decay and to rare events with low-energy signatures requires identifying unresolved noise sources, advancing noise reduction methods, and improving vibration suppression systems, all of which inform the design of next-generation rare event experiments.

experimental nuclear physics↗
NASA NTRS2006

Thirty Years After: The Science of the Viking Program and the Discovery of a 'New Mars'

Viking discovered a Mars that was very different from the Mars found by Mariner 4, 6 and 7. The new, exciting, more Earth-like Mars was hinted at by the Mariner 9 orbiter and confirmed by Viking. Viking discovered some very fundamental things about Mars. Viking discovered the presence of nitrogen in the atmosphere. A key ingredient needed for life. Viking made the first measurements of the isotopic composition of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and the noble gases in the atmosphere of Mars. The ratio of 15N to 14N suggested that Mars may have lost more than 99% of the total mass of its atmosphere. The denser atmosphere in the past may explain the presence of flowing water earlier in the history of Mars first discovered by Mariner 9 with additional and higher spatial resolution examples provided by the Viking Orbiters. Viking did not measure organics or life at the surface of Mars. But, Viking did discover a surface unlike any other on the Solar System--a surface exhibiting very high chemical reactivity, most probably formed by the deposition of chemically active atmospheric gases, like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ozone (O3), onto the surface of Mars.

Levine, Joel S.↗