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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

An Impact Ejecta Behavior Model for Small, Irregular Bodies

In recent years, spacecraft observations of asteroids 951 Gaspra, 243 Ida, 253 Mathilde, and 433 Eros have shown the overriding dominance of impact processes with regard to the structure and surface morphology of these small, irregular bodies. In particular, impact ejecta play an important role in regolith formation, ranging from small particles to large blocks, as well as surface feature modification and obscuration. To investigate these processes, a numerical model has been developed based upon the impact ejecta scaling laws provided by Housen, Schmidt, and Holsapple, and modified to more properly simulate the late-stage ejection velocities and ejecta plume shape changes (ejection angle variations) shown in impact cratering experiments. A target strength parameter has also been added to allow the simulation of strength-dominated cratering events in addition to the more familiar gravity-dominated cratering events. The result is a dynamical simulation which models -- via tracer particles -- the ejecta plume behavior, ejecta blanket placement, and impact crater area resulting from a specified impact on an irregularly shaped target body, which is modeled in 3-dimensional polygon fashion. This target body can be placed in a simple rotation state about one of its principal axes, with the impact site and projectile/target parameters selected by the user. The gravitational force from the irregular target body (on each tracer particle) is determined using the polygonized surface (polyhedron) gravity technique developed by Werner.

Richardson, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Investigation of the Potential Saturation of Information from Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation Observations with an Observing System Simulation Experiment

The potential impact of large numbers of Global Navigation Satellite System radio occultation (GNSS-RO) observations on numerical weather prediction is investigated using a global observing system simulation experiment (OSSE). The hybrid four-dimensional ensemble variational Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation system and Global Earth Observing System (GEOS) model are used to ingest up to 100,000 GNSS-RO soundings per day in addition to the current suite of conventional and radiance data. Analysis quality, forecast skill, and forecast sensitivity to observation impact are examined with differing quantities of additional GNSS-RO profiles. It is found that saturation of information from additional RO soundings has not been reached with 100,000 soundings per day. There are some indications of suboptimal performance of the GSI in handling GNSS-RO observations particularly in the middle and lower tropospheric extratropics.

GNSS-RO↗
NASA NTRS1987

Impact cratering in reduced-gravity environments: Early experiments on the NASA KC-135 aircraft

Impact experimentation on the NASA KC-135 Reduced-Gravity Aircraft was shown to be possible, practical, and of considerable potential use in examining the role of gravity on various impact phenomena. With a minimal facility, crater dimensional and growth-times were measured, and have demonstrated both agreement and disagreement with predictions. A larger facility with vacuum capability and a high-velocity gun would permit a much wider range of experimentation.

Cintala, Mark J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Experimental Simulation of Shock Reequilibration of Fluid Inclusions During Meteorite Impact

Fluid inclusions are microscopic volumes of fluid trapped within minerals as they precipitate. Fluid inclusions are common in terrestrial minerals formed under a wide array of geological settings from surface evaporite deposits to kimberlite pipes. While fluid inclusions in terrestrial rocks are the rule rather than the exception, only few fluid inclusion-bearing meteorites have been documented. The rarity of fluid inclusions in meteoritic material may be explained in two ways. First, it may reflect the absence of fluids (water?) on meteorite parent bodies. Alternatively, fluids may have been present when the rock formed, but any fluid inclusions originally trapped on the parent body were destroyed by the extreme P-T conditions meteorites often experience during impact events. Distinguishing between these two possibilities can provide significant constraints on the likelihood of life on the parent body. Just as textures, structures, and compositions of mineral phases can be significantly altered by shock metamorphism upon hypervelocity impact, fluid inclusions contained within component minerals may be altered or destroyed due to the high pressures, temperatures, and strain rates associated with impact events. Reequilibration may occur when external pressure-temperature conditions differ significantly from internal fluid isochoric conditions, and result in changes in fluid inclusion properties and/or textures. Shock metamorphism and fluid inclusion reequilibration can affect both the impacted target material and the meteoritic projectile. By examining the effects of shock deformation on fluid inclusion properties and textures we may be able to better constrain the pressure-temperature path experienced by shocked materials and also gain a clearer understanding of why fluid inclusions are rarely found in meteoritic samples.

Madden, M. E. Elwood↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 19

The topics include: 1) The abundances of Iron-60 in Pyroxene Chondrules from Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrites; 2) LL-Ordinary Chondrite Impact on the Moon: Results from the 3.9 Ga Impact Melt at the Landing Site of Appolo 17; 3) Evaluation of Chemical Methods for Projectile Identification in Terrestrial and Lunar Impactites; 4) Impact Cratering Experiments in Microgravity Environment; 5) New Achondrites with High-Calcium Pyroxene and Its implication for Igneous Differentiation of Asteroids; 6) Climate History of the Polar Regions of Mars Deduced form Geologic Mapping Results; 7) The crater Production Function for Mars: A-2 Cumulative Power-Law Slope for Pristine Craters Greater than 5 km in Diameter Based on Crater Distribution for Northern Plains Materials; 8) High Resolution Al-26 Chronology: Resolved Time Interval Between Rim and Interior of a Highly Fractionated Compact Type a CAI from Efremovka; 9) Assessing Aqueous Alteration on Mars Using Global Distributions of K and Th; 10) FeNi Metal Grains in LaPaz Mare Basalt Meteorites and Appolo 12 Basalts; 11) Unique Properties of Lunar Soil for In Situ Resource Utilization on the Moon; 12) U-Pb Systematics of Phosphates in Nakhlites; 13) Measurements of Sound Speed in Granular Materials Simulated Regolith; 14) The Effects of Oxygen, Sulphur and Silicon on the Dihedral Angles Between Fe-rich Liquid Metal and Olivine, Ringwoodite and Silicate Perovskite: Implications for Planetary Core Formation; 15) Seismic Shaking Removal of Craters 0.2-0.5 km in Diameter on Asteroid 433 Eros; 16) Focused Ion Beam Microscoopy of ALH84001 Carbonate Disks; 17) Simulating Micro-Gravity in the Laboratory; 18) Mars Atmospheric Sample Return Instrument Development; 19) Combined Remote LIBS and Raman Spectroscopy Measurements; 20) Unusual Radar Backscatter Properties Along the Northern Rim of Imbrium Basin; 21) The Mars Express/NASAS Project at JPL; 22) The Geology of the Viking 2 Lander Site Revisited; 23) An Impact Genesis for Loki Patera? 24) Mars Polar Cap Edges Tracked over 3 Full Mars Years; 25) Elemental Abundance in Presolar SiC: Comparing Grains Separated by Acid Residue and Gently Separation Procedures; 26) First Results from the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) Experiment on the Huygens Entry Probe of Titan; 27) Minor Element Behavior of Pallasite Olivine: Understanding Pallasite Thermal History and Chronology; 28) Canonical Anorthite in a Grosnaja Forsterite-bearing CAI; 29) Experimental Evidence for Condensation of 'Astrophysical' Carbonate; 30) Distribution and Classification of Multiple Coronae on Venus; 31) Recognition of Rayed Craters on Mars in THEMIS Thermal Infrared Imagery: Implications for Martian Meteorite Source Regions; 32) Geochemical Modeling of Evaporites on Mars: Insight from Meridiani Planum; 33) Hadean Crustal Processes Revealed from Oxygen Isotopes and U-Th-Pb Depth Profiling of Pre-4.0 Ga Detrital Zircons from Western Australia; 34) On Modeling the Seepage of Water into the Martian Subsurface; 35) Martial Gullies and Groundwater: A Series of Unfortunate Exceptions; 36) Olivine and Carbonate Globules in ALH84001: A Terrestrial Analog, and Implications for Water on Mars; 37) A Reevaluation of Mass Movements Within the Valles Marineris Region of Mars Using MOLA and MOC Data; 38) Evidence of Hydrated 109P/Swift-Tuttle Meteoroids from Meteor Spectroscopy; 39) Cr-54 Anomalies in the Solar System: Their Extent and Origin; 40) Reevaluation of the Mn-53-Cr-53 Systematic in the Basaltic Achondrites; 41) Effective Liquid Metal-Silicate Mixing Upon Shock by Power-Law Droplet Size Scaling in Richtmyer-Meshkov Like Perturbations; 42) Post-Impact Deformation of Impact Craters: Towards a Better Understanding Through the Study of Mjolnir Crater; 43) Cutting Silica Aerogel for Particle Extraction; 44) Liquid Hydrocarbons on Titan's Surface? How Cassini ISS Observations Fit into the Story (So Far); and 45) Mesoscale Simulations of Polar Circulations: Late Spring to Late Summe

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2025

Beam Non-Uniformity Characterization at the SpinQuest and DarkQuest Experiments

The SpinQuest experiment, including upgrades to SpinQuest designed to increase sensitivity to dark sector searches (commonly known as DarkQuest), utilizes the high-intensity 120 GeV proton beam delivered by the Fermilab Accelerator Complex to probe the inner structure of nucleons and search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. The SpinQuest beam is extracted from the Main Injector synchrotron at Fermilab in what is known as a slow spill . The slow spill involves a complex non-linear half-integer extraction method, which results in non-uniform beam behavior. SpinQuest observes spikes of very high intensity beam which can saturate detectors and reduce trigger efficiency, significantly impacting the experiment's sensitivity. In this project we address this challenge by developing an analysis framework to characterize the beam delivered to SpinQuest. By discovering trends within each spill and by comparing thousands of spills, we can better inform the Accelerator Division and improve the slow spill extraction. We have also begun a collaboration with the Accelerator Division in order to simulate the slow spill and improve the magnet ramp process controls which will improve the uniformity of the beam. These improvements will directly enhance the physics reach of SpinQuest/DarkQuest, increasing their sensitivity to key measurements such as the Sivers function and searches for new physics.

Dolen, James William [Purdue U., Calumet] (ORCID:0↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unraveling the Noise: An Investigation Plan for Signal Interference in Hearing Aids

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has revolutionized the performance of hearing aids with functionalities like seamless audio streaming and enhanced auditory functions. However, BLE operates within the highly congested 2.4 GHz frequency band, making it susceptible to signal interference that can degrade performance, reduce audio quality, and impact user experience. This paper documents interference patterns in BLE communication and introduces practical mitigation techniques aimed at improving the reliability of hearing aids. Attack vectors associated with Bluetooth enabled hearing aids include communication jamming, the interception of data between target devices, and GATT handle exploitation. Attackers could also use the vulnerabilities to block communications or intercept sensitive audio streams, posing significant security and privacy risks. These threats compromise two critical components of the CIA triad: (1) availability, by causing persistent connectivity issues, and (2) integrity, by enabling unauthorized data modifications. It is necessary to deal with these problems to ensure hearing aids work well and safely. This study investigates the impact of BLE signal interference on hearing aids, using tools such as HackRF [1], a Python tool to simulate interference scenarios, and Ubertooth [2] to sniff Bluetooth traffic between hearing aids and the device with the application. This paper investigates testing of BLE traffic in search of specific interference patterns that would impact the functionality of hearing aids, including jamming and flooding. This research focuses on developing robust mitigation techniques with the aim of securing BLE-enabled hearing aids against those vulnerabilities.

Baldwin, David [Savannah River National Laboratory↗
NASA NTRS2021

Low Cost Access to Mars Surface using a Small Impact Lander

In order to reduce the cost of landing small payloads on Mars, a new technology is being developed: the Small High Impact Energy Landing Device concept (SHIELD). The purpose of SHIELD is to provide a low-cost option to deliver up to 6 kg of science payload to the surface of Mars. SHIELD could be launched as a hosted payload, rideshare on an EELV secondary payload adapter (ESPA), or launching from a dedicated small launch vehicle using a kick stage. The SHIELD concept can achieve low-cost access to Mars by taking advantage of a low ballistic coefficient design to decelerate safely instead of using the typically required parachutes and/or propulsion to decelerate and stabilize itself during entry, decent, and landing (EDL). Current finite element simulations suggest that SHIELD would experience an impact acceleration pulse ranging from 1000 to 2000 g’s with a duration of 8 milliseconds. The SHIELD concept payload subsystem includes a “ruggedized” small warm electronics box (WEB). The WEB houses the telecommunications, command and data handling, thermal control, electrical power, and payload subsystems while maintaining an internal operating temperature ranging between -20° to 20° C. The system is designed to survive the Martian night by utilizing electric heaters powered with solar cells during the day and secondary batteries. The WEB is designed to be impact resistant capable of surviving an impact acceleration pulse equal to or less than 2000 g’s.

Woolley, Ryan↗
NASA NTRS1992

LDEF experiment M0003 meteoroid and debris survey

A survey of the meteoroid and space debris impacts on LDEF experiment M0003 was performed. The purpose was to document impact phenomenology and to obtain impact crater data for comparison to current debris and micrometeoroid models. The survey consists of photomicrographs of significant impacts in a variety of material types, accurate measurements of impact crater coordinates and dimensions for selected experiment surfaces and data basing of the crater data for reduction, manipulation, and comparison models. Large area surfaces which were studied include the experiment power and data system sunshields, environment exposure control canister sunshields, and the M0003 signal conditioning unit covers. Crater diameters down to 25 microns were measured and catalogued. Both leading and trailing edge surfaces were studied and compared. The results shows the different response of materials to hypervelocity impacts. Comparison of the data to curves derived from the Kessler debris model and the Cour-Palais micrometeoroid model indicates a marked tendency for overprediction of small impacts and underprediction of large impacts with there being better agreement for the medium sized impacts. Representative impact data is presented.

Meshishnek, M. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sensitivity of Fine‐Resolution Urban Heat Island Simulations to Soil Moisture Parameterization

ABSTRACT Urban areas experience the impact of natural disasters, such as heatwaves and flash floods, disparately in different neighbourhoods across a city. The demand for precise urban hydrometeorological and hydroclimatological modelling to examine this disparity, and the interacting challenges posed by climate change and urbanisation, has thus surged. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has served such operational and research purposes for decades. Recent advancements in WRF, including enhanced numerical schemes and sophisticated urban atmospheric‐hydrological parameterizations, have empowered the simulation of urban geophysical processes at high resolution (~1 km), but even this resolution misses significant urban microclimate variability. This study applies the large‐eddy simulations (LES) mode within WRF, coupled with single‐layer urban canopy models (SLUCM), to enable even finer‐scale modelling (150 m) of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in the Baltimore metropolitan area. We run nine scenarios to evaluate various methods of initializing soil moisture and various spinup lead times, and to assess the impact of WRF's Mosaic approach in depicting subgrid‐scale processes. We evaluate the scenarios by comparing the WRF simulated land surface temperature (LST) against Landsat LST and the WRF simulated hourly 2‐m air temperatures (AT) with observations from eight weather stations across the domain. Results underscore the paramount influence of the lead spinup time on the spatiotemporal distribution of simulated soil moisture, consequently shaping WRF's efficacy in predicting the UHI. Furthermore, interpolating soil moisture‐related parameters from the parent for child domain initialization yields a notable reduction in mean and root‐mean‐squared errors. This improvement was particularly evident in simulations with the longest spinup time, affirming the importance of carefully designing the initialization of soil moisture for improved urban temperature predictions.

Talebpour, Mahdad↗
DOE OSTI2025

Expanding market opportunities: cogeneration strategies for integrated PWR and thermal energy storage systems

We assess the economic viability of nuclear cogeneration by investigating three different modes—fixed dispatch, fully flexible dispatch, and flexible dispatch with minimum heat supply requirements. The analysis focuses on an existing pressurized water reactor (PWR) integrated with thermal energy storage (TES). Heat production costs are estimated under these modes for two U.S. electricity markets: the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Pennsylvania–New Jersey–Maryland Interconnection (PJM). A sensitivity analysis examines profitability at varying heat market prices. Results indicate that fixed heat dispatch inflates heat production costs, often rendering projects economically feasible only at higher heat price levels. Fully-flexible dispatch lowers heat production costs by an average of 43 % compared to fixed dispatch. However, the current 30 % thermal dispatch limit may be insufficient to serve high baseline industrial demands cost‐effectively; higher maximum dispatch rates could enhance project economics. Markets with higher and more volatile electricity prices (e.g., ERCOT) offer greater total energy sales potential (i.e., heat and electricity), but also increase opportunity costs when heat production scheduling restrictions are imposed. In contrast, lower-price, less volatile markets (e.g., PJM) experience smaller impacts from such constraints and provide greater flexibility in accommodating varying cogeneration modes. In conclusion, these findings provide a framework to guide nuclear plant operators in aligning cogeneration strategies with industrial process requirements and electricity market conditions.

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

20A44-121: Modeling and characterization of α-U to accelerate metallic fuels development [Slides]

This presentation contains a high-level description of the Idaho National Laboratory Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project, 20A44-121: Modeling and characterization of α-U to accelerate metallic fuels development. It frames the problem, describes a motivation, outlines the research plan involving multiscale modeling and experiments, discusses impact and details research developments.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Utility Experience with Inverter Based Resource Impacts on Transmission Protection

High penetration of inverter-based resources (IBR) can adversely affect the transmission protection schemes in the area. With the proliferation of IBRs, utilities are finding out that conventional protection schemes are not adequately equipped to protect the electric systems because the existing system has been designed based on the fault current response of conventional rotating-machine-based generators. In several cases, the available literature does not provide any clear solution for the issues when the protection scheme does not operate properly near IBRs. This report identifies various protection challenges due to IBRs that industry is facing, from the utility perspective. It includes a broad review of all challenges that system protection has experienced so far with high penetration of IBRs. Key issues have been identified based on a survey of different utility protection engineers. Finally, fault event recordings are shown to demonstrate some actual cases of mis-operations of relays near IBRs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1977

Investigations of primary and secondary impact structures on the moon and laboratory experiments to study the ejecta of secondary particles

Young lunar impact structures were investigated by using lunar orbiter, Apollo Metric and panorama photographs. Measurements on particularly homogeneous areas low in secondary craters made possible an expansion of primary crater distribution to small diameters. This is now sure for a range between 20m or = D or = 20km and this indicates that the size and velocity distribution of the impacting bodies in the last 3 billion years has been constant. A numerical approximation in the form of a 7th degree polynomial was obtained for the distribution.

Koenig, B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

On the dissociation of nitrogen by electron impact and by EUV photo-absorption

The dissociation of N2 by electron impact and by absorption of EUV photons was studied experimentally. It was shown that most of the N2 molecules excited to singlet states in the 12.5-14.86 eV range are depopulated by predissociation and not by the emission of EUV photons and that this is the principal mechanism by which N2 is dissociated by solar EUV absorption and by electron impact. The experiments provide a physical explanation for the near absence of N2 band radiation in airglow and auroral EUV spectra, and rule out the excitation of EUV radiation as a major factor in the overall energy economy of an auroral substorm.

Zipf, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Evidence for a high-temperature accretion region in Algol-type binary systems

Evidence is presented that a high-temperature (100,000 K) accretion region (HTAR) with extreme carbon depletion exists about Algol primaries whose photospheres experience an impact from the gas stream. The radial velocity behavior of the lines from highly ionized species unequivocally associates this region with the primary star and restricts its thickness to a few stellar radii. The data show that the HTAR, when present, must encompass at least one hemisphere of the star. It is significant that the HTAR has not yet been observed between phases 0.1 and 0.4, on the hemisphere opposite the location of the impacting gas stream. A generalized model for the HTAR is proposed and a scenario for its development is suggested.

Peters, G. J.↗