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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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310 records · Page 18

ILEOS: A Novel Intelligent Observing System Enabled by High Altitude Long Endurance Uncrewed Aerial Systems

Most major global satellite surveyors of climate-relevant trace gases have relatively coarse spatial resolution or temporal sampling. While these data can be supplemented by fine-pointing satellites and aircraft, the spatial and temporal resolutions available from crewed aircraft is not sufficient to observe stochastic, ephemeral events that take place between observations. Emerging High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) can operate for months at a time and loiter over targets to provide continuous daylight geostationary-like observations, allowing these new platforms to be integrated with existing satellites as part of a New Observing Strategy (NOS).To aid in the planning of future NOS missions, NASA is developing the Intelligent Long Endurance Observing System (ILEOS), a science activity planning system. ILEOS will help scientists build plans to improve spatio-temporal resolution of climate-relevant gases by fusing coarse-grained sensor data from satellites and other sources(e.g., terrain, forecasts), and plan HALE UAS flights to obtain finer-grain (high spatio-temporal) data. ILEOS will also enable observations for longer periods and of environments not accessible through in-situ observations and crewed aircraft field campaigns.

science planning pipeline↗

Quantifying Volumetric Scattering Bias in ICESat-2 and Operation IceBridge Altimetry Over Greenland Firn and Aged Snow

The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission has collected surface elevation measurements for over 5 years. ICESat-2 carries an instrument that emits laser light at 532 nm, and ice and snow absorb weakly at this wavelength. Previous modeling studies found that melting snow could induce significant bias to altimetry signals, but there is no formal assessment on ICESat-2 acquisitions during the melting season. We performed two case studies over the Greenland Ice Sheet to quantify bias in ICESat-2 signals over snow: one to validate Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) data against Next Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) grain sizes, and a second to estimate ICESat-2 bias relative to ATM. We used snow optical grain sizes derived from ATM and AVIRIS-NG to attribute altimetry bias to snowpack properties. For the first case study, the mean and standard deviation of optical grain sizes were 340 ± 65 µm (AVIRIS-NG) and 670 ± 420 µm (ATM). A mean altimetry bias of 4.81 ± 1.76 cm was found for ATM, with larger biases linked to increases in grain size. In the second case study, we found a mean grain size of 910 ± 381 µm and biases of 6.42 ± 1.77 cm (ICESat-2) and 9.82 ± 0.97 cm (ATM). The grain sizes and densities needed to recreate biases with a model are uncommon in nature, so we propose that additional surface attributes must be considered to characterize ICESat-2 bias over snow. The altimetry biases are within the accuracy requirements of the ICESat-2 mission, but we cannot rule out more significant errors over coarse-grained snow.

Zachary Fair↗

Simulation of Radiation-Induced DNA Damage With the Code RITRACKS

INTRODUCTION DNA damage is one of the most physiologically important effects of ionizing radiation. Clustered DNA damage events, like double-strand breaks (DSBs), have the most notable biological consequences. DNA damage types depend on both the track structure of the radiation and the spatial organization of the DNA. High linear energy transfer (LET) charged nuclei, found in galactic cosmic rays (GCR), are known to produce large numbers of complex DNA damage events. The human genome is packaged into chromatin, which can take on locus-dependent and cell type-dependent spatial conformations that correspond to epigenetic states, such as more open, extended structures in transcriptionally active chromatin. These epigenetic differences can affect DNA break patterns in response to ionizing radiation, potentially creating distinct DNA repair and signaling outcomes across the genome in different cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS The code RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks), which simulates stochastic radiation track structures and radiation chemistry, was used to model damage on isolated and histone-bound DNA by various types of ions and photons. The changes made to the code to perform radiation-induced DNA damage, and simulation results on single nucleosomes are given in our recent paper. In this work, the DNA building capabilities of RITRACKS have been extended to simulate more complex DNA structures build on the coarse-grain simulation framework meso-WLCsim. This code can sample generic chromatin fiber conformation ensembles based on the geometry of nucleosomes and mechanical properties of DNA. Using RITRACKS, we simulated the fragment length distributions (FLD) of irradiated DNA structures built using the chromatin conformations of WLCsim and obtained results representative of those obtained with Radiation-Induced Correlated Cleavage with sequencing (RICC-Seq) experiments [6]. We have also performed Fe ion and photon irradiations of K562, IMR90, BJ and RPE-1 cells at NSRL to experimentally validate results. Sample processing and data analysis are in progress and any available preliminary results will be discussed. DISCUSSION The recent updates in the code RITRACKS allow the calculation of several quantities such as the DNA damage yield and the FLD. This approach can be used to model epigenetic state-specific chromatin structure parameters to leverage the epigenetic state data available for many human cell types to infer relative DNA damage sensitivity among genomic loci.

I Plante↗

Thermomechanical Modeling of Woven Materials With Particle-Based, Explicit-Fiber Simulations

Fiber-based materials are extensively used to protect spacecraft during entry. Insulative fibers, often in a fiber network or woven, provide rigidity, strength, and control of material anisotropy and density. Woven thermal protection materials, such as ADEPT (Adaptable, Deployable Entry and Placement Technology), 3D-MAT (3-Dimensional Multifunctional Ablative Thermal Protection), and 3MDCP (3D Woven Mid-Density Carbon Phenolic), enable missions with stronger and denser materials for entry profiles with high shear and heat flux. Vulnerabilities to woven thermal protection materials include manufacturing-induced material property variation, and impact from micrometeoroids. Simulating woven materials under these conditions require models that can resolve hierarchal structures, thermomechanical behavior, and failure. To address this, we simulate weave thermal conduction and mechanical deformation. We simulate the full weave with a coarse-grained yarn model is presented. The model combines a validated, high-resolution single 3MDCP yarn model and phenolic resin model. Instead of modeling every fiber, each yarn ply with order 10, instead of order 1000, fibers. The discrete element bonded particle model (DEM-BPM) of fibers captures the thermal and mechanical behavior within and between fibers. We study the proportion of heat transfer and stress via the contact network, fiber bonds, and overall weave geometry.

bonded particle↗