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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

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NASA NTRS2013

Magnetic Untwisting in Most Solar X-Ray Jets

From 54 X‐ray jets observed in the polar coronal holes by Hinode's X‐Ray Telescope (XRT) during coverage in movies from Solar Dynamic Observatory's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) taken in its He II 304 Å band at a cadence of 12 s, we have established a basic characteristic of solar X‐ray jets: untwisting motion in the spire. In this presentation, we show the progression of few of these X‐ray jets in XRT images and track their untwisting in AIA He II images. From their structure displayed in their XRT movies, 19 jets were evidently standard jets made by interchange reconnection of the magnetic‐arcade base with ambient open field, 32 were evidently blowout jets made by blowout eruption of the base arcade, and 3 were of ambiguous form. As was anticipated from the >10,000 km span of the base arcade in most polar X‐ray jets and from the disparity of standard jets and blowout jets in their magnetic production, few of the standard X‐ray jets (3 of 19) but nearly all of the blowout X‐ray jets (29 of 32) carried enough cool (T is approximately 105 K) plasma to be seen in their He II movies. In the 32 X‐ray jets that showed a cool component, the He II movies show 10‐100 km/s untwisting motions about the axis of the spire in all 3 standard jets and in 26 of the 29 blowout jets. Evidently, the open magnetic field in nearly all blowout X‐ray jets and probably in most standard X‐ray jets carries transient twist. This twist apparently relaxes by propagating out along the open field as a torsional wave. High‐resolution spectrograms and Dopplergrams have shown that most Type‐II spicules have torsional motions of 10‐30 km/s. Our observation of similar torsional motion in X‐ray jets strengthens the case for Type‐II spicules being made in the same way as X‐ray jets, by blowout eruption of a twisted magnetic arcade in the spicule base and/or by interchange reconnection of the twisted base arcade with the ambient open field. This work was funded by NASA's Heliophysics Division through its LWS TRT Program and its Hinode Project, and by NSF through its Research Experience for Undergraduates Program.

Moore, Ronald↗

DOE OSTI2019

Low temperature traps myosin motors of mammalian muscle in a refractory state that prevents activation

Myosin motors in the thick filament of resting striated (skeletal and cardiac) muscle are trapped in an OFF state, in which the motors are packed in helical tracks on the filament surface, inhibiting their interactions with actin and utilization of ATP. To investigate the structural changes induced in the thick filament of mammalian skeletal muscle by changes in temperature, we collected x-ray diffraction patterns from the fast skeletal muscle extensor digitorum longus of the mouse in the temperature range from near physiological (35°C) to 10°C, in which the maximal isometric force (T0) shows a threefold decrease. In resting muscle, x-ray reflections signaling the OFF state of the thick filament indicate that cooling produces a progressive disruption of the OFF state with motors moving away from the ordered helical tracks on the surface of the thick filament. We find that the number of myosin motors in the OFF state at 10°C is half of that at 35°C. At T0, changes in the x-ray signals that report the fraction and conformation of actin-attached motors can be explained if the threefold decrease in force associated with lowering temperature is due not only to a decrease in the force-generating transition in the actin-attached motors but also to a twofold decrease in the number of such motors. Thus, lowering the temperature reduces to the same extent the fraction of motors in the OFF state at rest and the fraction of motors attached to actin at T0, suggesting that motors that leave the OFF state accumulate in a disordered refractory state that makes them unavailable for interaction with actin upon stimulation. This regulatory effect of temperature on the thick filament of mammalian skeletal muscle could represent an energetically convenient mechanism for hibernating animals.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2005

Long Baseline Nulling Interferometry with the Keck Telescopes: A Progress Report

The Keck Interferometer Nuller (KIN) is one of the major scientific and technical precursors to the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer (TPF-I) mission. KIN's primary objective is to measure the level of exo-zodiacal mid-infrared emission around nearby main sequence stars, which requires deep broad-band nulling of astronomical sources of a few Janskys at 10 microns. A number of new capabilities are needed in order to reach that goal with the Keck telescopes: mid-infrared coherent recombination, interferometric operation in 'split pupil' mode, N-band optical path stabilization using K-band fringe tracking and internal metrology, and eventually, active atmospheric dispersion correction. We report here on the progress made implementing these new functionalities, and discuss the initial levels of extinction achieved on the sky.

instrumentation↗

DOE OSTI2020

Reconstruction of Charged Particle Tracks in Realistic Detector Geometry Using a Vectorized and Parallelized Kalman Filter Algorithm

One of the most computationally challenging problems expected for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) is finding and fitting particle tracks during event reconstruction. Algorithms used at the LHC today rely on Kalman filtering, which builds physical trajectories incrementally while incorporating material e ects and error estimation. Recognizing the need for faster computational throughput, we have adapted Kalman-filterbased methods for highly parallel, many-core SIMD and SIMT architectures that are now prevalent in high-performance hardware. Previously we observed significant parallel speedups, with physics performance comparable to CMS standard tracking, on Intel Xeon, Intel Xeon Phi, and (to a limited extent) NVIDIA GPUs. While early tests were based on artificial events occurring inside an idealized barrel detector, we showed subsequently that our mkFit software builds tracks successfully from complex simulated events (including detector pileup) occurring inside a geometrically accurate representation of the CMS-2017 tracker. Here, we report on advances in both the computational and physics performance of mkFit, as well as progress toward integration with CMS production software. Recently we have improved the overall eciency of the algorithm by preserving short track candidates at a relatively early stage rather than attempting to extend them over many layers. Moreover, mkFit formerly produced an excess of duplicate tracks; these are now explicitly removed in an additional processing step. We demonstrate that with these enhancements, mkFit becomes a suitable choice for the first iteration of CMS tracking, and eventually for later iterations as well. We plan to test this capability in the CMS High Level Trigger during Run 3 of the LHC, with an ultimate goal of using it in both the CMS HLT and oine reconstruction for the HL-LHC CMS tracker.

Cerati, Giuseppe↗

NASA NTRS2002

Submillimeter and Far Infrared Experiment for SOFIA (SAFIRE): Progress and Prospects

SAFIRE/SOFIA is a versatile imaging Fabry-Perot spectrograph covering 100 less than lambda less than 655 microns, with spectral resolving power of approx. l0(exp 3). Selected as a "PI" instrument for the airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), SAFIRE will apply two dimensional pop-up bolometer arrays to provide background limited imaging spectrometry. We describe the instrument design, its application to a range of astro- physical investigations, and current progress and results in the innovative detector and instrument design. SAFIRE/SOFIA is on track for availability in 2006.

Shafer, R. A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Quantifying the Sensitivity of Condition Incidence Parameters in the Evidence Library

One approach to quantifying spaceflight risk at NASA makes use event driven probabilistic techniques. The Medical Extensible Dynamic Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tool (MEDPRAT) is such a tool that estimates medical risk metrics via simulation and enables optimization of medical resources subject to mission constraints [1]. Previous analyses have informed medical set composition, exercise countermeasures, and water intake, where each analysis quantifies the risk associated with proposed variations in system design. As future mission profiles extend beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and lengthen in duration, understanding these risks and contributing factors is critical. MEDPRAT employs Monte Carlo sampling techniques to simulate missions and track the occurrence of medical events. These events follow fault-tree-like progressions through levels of severity and mitigation via medical treatment to many possible outcomes and these are reported throughout the mission. Making this possible, are the medical databases that contain evidence gathered by the Human Research Program (HRP). Quantifying the impact of uncertainty or variability in the input data is an important step in evaluating the credibility of modeling and simulation results. In this work, we investigate the sensitivity of medical risk metrics with respect to the condition incidence parameters within the Evidence Library (EL) [2] as the medical database input for MEDPRAT. The medical conditions, contained in the EL, are equipped with incidence rates that describe the likelihood that the condition will occur. These incidence rates reflect historical spaceflight data or when appropriate, terrestrial data. In this presentation, we will explore how uncertainty in these rates propagate to the medical risk described by MEDPRAT. These results identify the conditions and parameters with the largest contribution to medical risks.

Ian Lim↗

NASA NTRS1966

NASA photometer Final progress report Mar. 10, 1966 - Jul. 10, 1966

Photometer designed as transfer standard for light emission measurements in star tracking systems

STANDARD↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Latest Progress and Results in LEO-GEO and GEO-GEO Stereo AMVs

Atmospheric motion vectors (AMVs), derived by tracking patterns, represent the winds in a layer characteristic of the pattern. AMV height (or pressure), important for applications in atmospheric research and operational meteorology, is usually assigned using observed IR brightness temperatures with a modeled atmosphere and can be inaccurate. Stereoscopic tracking provides a direct geometric height measurement of the pattern that an AMV represents. We extend our previous work with multi-angle imaging spectro–radiometer (MISR) and GOES to moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the GOES-R series advanced baseline imager (ABI). MISR is a unique satellite instrument for stereoscopy with nine angular views along track, but its images have a narrow (380 km) swath and no thermal IR channels. MODIS provides a much wider (2330 km) swath and eight thermal IR channels that pair well with all but two ABI channels, offering a rich set of potential applications. Given the similarities between MODIS and VIIRS, our methods should also yield similar performance with VIIRS. Our methods, as enabled by advanced sensors like MODIS and ABI, require high-accuracy geographic registration in both systems but no synchronization of observations. AMVs are retrieved jointly with their heights from the disparities between triplets of ABI scenes and the paired MODIS granule. We validate our retrievals against MISR-GOES retrievals, operational GOES wind products, and by tracking clear-sky terrain. We demonstrate that the 3D-wind algorithm can produce high-quality AMV and height measurements for applications from the planetary boundary layer (PBL) to the upper troposphere, including cold-air outbreaks, wildfire smoke plumes, and hurricanes.

Atmospheric motion vectors↗

DOE OSTI2022

Tracking blobs in the turbulent edge plasma of a tokamak fusion device

Abstract The analysis of turbulence in plasmas is fundamental in fusion research. Despite extensive progress in theoretical modeling in the past 15 years, we still lack a complete and consistent understanding of turbulence in magnetic confinement devices, such as tokamaks. Experimental studies are challenging due to the diverse processes that drive the high-speed dynamics of turbulent phenomena. This work presents a novel application of motion tracking to identify and track turbulent filaments in fusion plasmas, called blobs, in a high-frequency video obtained from Gas Puff Imaging diagnostics. We compare four baseline methods (RAFT, Mask R-CNN, GMA, and Flow Walk) trained on synthetic data and then test on synthetic and real-world data obtained from plasmas in the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV). The blob regime identified from an analysis of blob trajectories agrees with state-of-the-art conditional averaging methods for each of the baseline methods employed, giving confidence in the accuracy of these techniques. By making a dataset and benchmark publicly available, we aim to lower the entry barrier to tokamak plasma research, thereby greatly broadening the community of scientists and engineers who might apply their talents to this endeavor.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1994

Implementation of a state of the art automated system for the production of cloud/water vapor motion winds from geostationary satellites

The thrust of the proposed effort under this contract is aimed at improving techniques to track water vapor data in sequences of imagery from geostationary satellites. In regards to this task, significant testing, evaluation, and progress was accomplished during this period. Sets of winds derived from Meteosat data were routinely produced during Atlantic hurricane events in the 1993 season. These wind sets were delivered via Internet in real time to the Hurricane Research Division in Miami for their evaluation in a track forecast model. For eighteen cases in which 72-hour forecasts were produced, thirteen resulted in track forecast improvements (some quite significant). In addition, quality-controlled Meteosat water vapor winds produced by NESDIS were validated against rawinsondes, yielding an 8 m/s RMS. This figure is comparable to upper-level cloud drift wind accuracies. Given the complementary horizontal coverage in cloud-free areas, we believe that water vapor vectors can supplement cloud-drift wind information to provide good full-disk coverage of the upper tropospheric flow. The impact of these winds on numerical analysis and forecasts will be tested in the next reporting period.

Velden, Christopher S.↗

DOE OSTI2019

The formation mechanisms of sedimentary pyrite nodules determined by trace element and sulfur isotope microanalysis

Redox sensitive trace elements in pyrite, including nodules, are increasingly used to infer the chemical conditions of ancient oceans—but considerable uncertainty remains regarding the mechanism and timing of nodule formation. Resolving these uncertainties is important because pyrite nodules must form in connection with the overlying water column, rather than during late diagenesis, to reflect the composition of the global ocean. Existing models for pyrite nodule formation have been specific to pyrite textures from individual sites, and we lack a unified model that can explain the compositional and textural diversity observed in nodules from different localities. In this study we examine ten pyrite nodules from several geological periods (Neoarchean to Carboniferous) using in situ LA-ICP-MS and SHRIMP-SI analyses. We present transects of spot analyses of trace elements (As, Ag, Cu, Co, Ni, Sb and Se) and S isotope ratios for each nodule. The pyrite nodules can be classified according to three main categories: those with (1) little to no trace element or isotopic zonation of the nodule from core to margin, (2) strong zonation from core to margin, and (3) minor zonation near the core but more significant zonation near the margin of the nodule. We further illustrate this zonation with a NanoSIMS element map from an additional pyrite nodule. These results are interpreted to indicate nodule formation along a spectrum between two end-member mechanisms. We suggest that the absence of trace element or isotopic zonation reflects nodule growth by a pathway that is analogous to the pervasive growth mechanism for carbonate nodules. This model involves the production of many nucleation sites that are evenly distributed within the volume that the nodule eventually occupies. Consequently, this mechanism results in a chemically homogenous nodule. Pyrites formed this way are suitable for paleoceanographic reconstruction. The other end-member mechanism is analogous to the concentric growth model for carbonate concretions. In this scenario, the core of the nodule forms first and is followed by the addition of concentric layers—each with a progressively different trace element content and δ 34 S signature as diagenesis progresses. Despite having limited utility for econstructing ancient seawater, these late forming nodules may track the evolving availability of bioessential trace elements for the subsurface biosphere with important implications for global biogeochemical cycles. Finally, spatial trends in trace elements and S isotopes thus speak to the mechanisms of pyrite nodule formation and provide a framework for evaluating nodule suitability for a range of paleoenvironmental studies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

People who inject drugs in metropolitan Chicago: A meta-analysis of data from 1997-2017 to inform interventions and computational modeling toward hepatitis C microelimination

Progress toward hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in the United States is not on track to meet targets set by the World Health Organization, as the opioid crisis continues to drive both injection drug use and increasing HCV incidence. A pragmatic approach to achieving this is using a microelimination approach of focusing on high-risk populations such as people who inject drugs (PWID). Computational models are useful in understanding the complex interplay of individual, social, and structural level factors that might alter HCV incidence, prevalence, transmission, and treatment uptake to achieve HCV microelimination. However, these models need to be informed with realistic sociodemographic, risk behavior and network estimates on PWID. We conducted a meta-analysis of research studies spanning 20 years of research and interventions with PWID in metropolitan Chicago to produce parameters for a synthetic population for realistic computational models (e.g., agent-based models). We then fit an exponential random graph model (ERGM) using the network estimates from the meta-analysis in order to develop the network component of the synthetic population.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Supply Chain Sustainability Analysis of Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels via Indirect Liquefaction, Hydrothermal Liquefaction, Combined Algal Processing, and Biochemical Conversion: Update of the 2021 State-of-Technology Cases

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) aims to develop and deploy technologies to transform renewable biomass resources into commercially viable, high-performance biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower through public and private partnerships. BETO and its national laboratory teams conduct in-depth techno-economic assessments (TEA) of biomass feedstock supply and logistics and conversion technologies to produce biofuels. There are two general types of TEAs: A design case outlines a target case (future projection) for a particular biofuel pathway. It informs R&D priorities by identifying areas in need of improvement, tracks sustainability impact of R&D, and provides goals and benchmarks against which technology progress is assessed. A state of technology (SOT) analysis assesses progress within and across relevant technology areas based on actual results at current experimental scales relative to technical targets and cost goals from design cases, and includes technical, economic, and environmental criteria as available.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Supply Chain Sustainability Analysis of Renewable Hydrocarbon Fuels via Indirect Liquefaction, Hydrothermal Liquefaction, Combined Algal Processing, and Biochemical Conversion: Update of the 2021 State-of-Technology Cases

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2025

The Optical Stochastic Cooling Program at Fermilab

Recently, Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC) became the first demonstrated method for ultra-high-bandwidth stochastic cooling. The initial experiments at Fermilab’s IOTA ring explored the essential physics of the method and demonstrated cooling, heating and manipulation of beams and single particles. Having been validated in practice, with continued development, OSC carries the potential for dramatic advances in the state-of-the-art performance and flexibility for beam cooling and control. The ongoing program at Fermilab is now focused on the development of an OSC system that includes high-gain optical amplification, which promises a two-order-of-magnitude increase in the strength of the OSC force. Here we review the progress and plans for the amplified OSC program. This includes detailed lattice designs and tracking simulations for the various experimental configurations, designs and status for the various hardware systems, and near-term operational plans and use cases.

Jarvis, J. [Fermilab]↗

NASA NTRS1981

A Loran-C prototype navigation receiver for general aviation

Investigations have been conducted regarding the techniques required for Loran-C navigation with application to the general-aviation pilot. The goal has been to produce prototype equipment for flight evaluation which will provide enroute navigation in both latitude-longitude and rho-theta coordinates and to evaluate the nonprecision approach capabilities of such equipment. In connection with the considered project, a prototype Loran-C receiver has been flight-tested using a variety of flight paths, with and without simultaneous ground radar position data collection. Attention is given to a receiver overview, an antenna preamplifier/coupler, the Loran-C receiver RF processor, the tracking loop hardware, tracking loop programming, video output, the laboratory and flight evaluation, and work currently in progress.

Lilley, R. W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Repair of the DSS-14 Pedestal Concrete

About three years after the Goldstone Deep Space Station antenna was dedicated, grout under the hydrostatic bearing runner was found to be interacting with the runner, causing rust to form between the runner and the sole plates upon which it rests. The rust formed unevenly and the runner could not be kept flat so in 1969 the grout was removed and replaced with a Portland cement and sand dry pack grout that was less likely to produce rust. In the years that followed, oil leaking from the runner assembly caused progressive deterioration of the drypack grout. In 1982 over one thousand hours of spacecraft tracking time were lost due to this deterioration. A plan was developed to rehabilitate the bearing. The plan called for raising the rotating structure free from the concrete pedestal and placing it on three pairs of external support columns. With the weight of the structure transferred to the columns, the pads and runner could be removed and the repair started. The very successful repair included the replacement of a significant portion of the antenna pedestal.

Mcclure, D.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Spaceborne centrifugal relays for spacecraft propulsion

Acceleration using centrifugal relays is a recently discovered method for the acceleration of spaceborne payloads to high velocity at high thrust. Centrifugal relays are moving rotors which progressively accelerate reaction mass to higher velocities. One important engineering problem consists of accurately tracking the position of the projectiles and rotors and guiding each projectile exactly onto the appropriate guide tracks on each rotor. The topics of this research are the system kinematics and dynamics and the computerized guidance system which will allow the projectile to approach each rotor with exact timing with respect to the rotor rotation period and with very small errors in lateral positions. Kinematics studies include analysis of rotor and projectile positions versus time and projectile/rotor interactions. Guidance studies include a detailed description of the tracking mechanism (interrupt of optical beams) and the aiming mechanism (electromagnetic focusing) including the design of electromagnetic deflection coils and the switching circuitry.

Ouzidane, Malika↗