SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “digital assistant”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1997

Of red planets and indigo computers: Mars database visualization as an example of platform downsizing

The last decade has witnessed tremendous advancements in the computer hardware and software used to perform scientific visualization. In this paper, we consider how the visualization of a particular data set, the digital terrain model derived from the Viking orbiter imagery, has been realized in four distinct projects over this period. These examples serve to demonstrate how the vast improvements in computational performance both decrease the cost of such visualization efforts and permit an increasing level of interactivity. We then consider how even today's graphical systems require the visualization designer to make intelligent choices and tradeoffs in database rendering. Finally, we discuss how insights gleaned from an understanding of human visual perception can guide these design decisions, and suggest new options for visualization hardware and software.

NASA Center ARC↗

NASA NTRS1993

The systems engineering overview and process (from the Systems Engineering Management Guide, 1990)

The past several decades have seen the rise of large, highly interactive systems that are on the forward edge of technology. As a result of this growth and the increased usage of digital systems (computers and software), the concept of systems engineering has gained increasing attention. Some of this attention is no doubt due to large program failures which possibly could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, through the use of systems engineering principles. The complexity of modern day weapon systems requires conscious application of systems engineering concepts to ensure producible, operable and supportable systems that satisfy mission requirements. Although many authors have traced the roots of systems engineering to earlier dates, the initial formalization of the systems engineering process for military development began to surface in the mid-1950s on the ballistic missile programs. These early ballistic missile development programs marked the emergence of engineering discipline 'specialists' which has since continued to grow. Each of these specialties not only has a need to take data from the overall development process, but also to supply data, in the form of requirements and analysis results, to the process. A number of technical instructions, military standards and specifications, and manuals were developed as a result of these development programs. In particular, MILSTD-499 was issued in 1969 to assist both government and contractor personnel in defining the systems engineering effort in support of defense acquisition programs. This standard was updated to MIL-STD499A in 1974, and formed the foundation for current application of systems engineering principles to military development programs.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2022

Minimizing Fraud in the Carbon Offset Market Using Blockchain Technologies

Fraud in the Environmental Benefit Credit (EBC) markets is pervasive. To make matters worse, the cost of creating EBCs is often higher than the market price. Consequently, a method to create, validate, and verify EBCs and their relevance is needed to mitigate fraud. The EBC market has focused on geologic (fossil fuel) CO 2 sequestration projects that are often over budget and behind schedule and has failed to capture the "lowest hanging fruit" EBCs - terrestrial sequestration via the agricultural industry. This project reviews a methodology to attain possibly the least costly EBCs by tracking the reduction of inputs required to grow crops. The use of bio- stimulant products, such as humate, allows a farmer to use less nitrogen without adversely affecting crop yield. Using less nitrogen qualifies for EBCs by reducing nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate runoff from a farmer's field. A blockchain that tracks the bio-stimulant material from source to application provides a link between a tangible (bio-stimulant commodity) and the associated intangible (EBCs) assets. Covert insertion of taggants in the bio-stimulant products creates a unique barcode that allows a product to be digitally tracked from beginning to end. This process (blockchain technology) is so robust, logical, and transparent that it will enhance the value of the associated EBCs by mitigating fraud. It provides a real time method for monetizing the benefits of the material. Substantial amounts of energy are required to produce, transport, and distribute agricultural inputs including fertilizer and water. Intelligent optimization of the use of agricultural inputs can drive meaningful cost savings. Tagging and verification of product application provides a valuable understanding of the dynamics in the water/food energy nexus, a major food security and sustainability issue. As technology in agriculture evolves so to must methods to verify the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) potential of innovative solutions. The technology reviewed provides the ability to combine blockchain and taggants ("taggant blockchains") as the engine by which to (1) mitigate fraudulent carbon credits; (2) improve food chain security, and (3) monitor and manage sustainability. The verification of product quality and application is a requirement to validate benefits. Recent upgrades to humic and fulvic quality protocols known as ISO CD 19822 TC134 offers an analytical procedure. This work has been assisted by the Humic Products Trade Association and International Humic Substance Society. In addition, providing proof of application of these products and verification of the correct application of prescriptive humic and bio-stimulant products is required. Individual sources of humate have unique and verifiable characteristics. Additionally, methods for prescription of site- specific agricultural inputs in agricultural fields are available. (See US Patents 734867B2, US 90658633B2.) Finally, a method to assure application rate is required through the use of taggants. Sensors using organic solid to liquid phase change nanoparticles of various types and melting temperatures added to the naturally occurring materials provide a barcode. Over 100 types of nanoparticles exist ensuring numerous possible barcodes to reduce industry fraud. Taggant materials can be collected from soil samples of plant material to validate a blockchain of humic, fulvic and other soil amendment products. Other non-organic materials are also available as taggants; however, the organic tags are biodegradable and safe in the environment allowing for use during differing application timeliness.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS2001

Analysis of fractal dimensions of rat bones from film and digital images

OBJECTIVES: (1) To compare the effect of two different intra-oral image receptors on estimates of fractal dimension; and (2) to determine the variations in fractal dimensions between the femur, tibia and humerus of the rat and between their proximal, middle and distal regions. METHODS: The left femur, tibia and humerus from 24 4-6-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were radiographed using intra-oral film and a charge-coupled device (CCD). Films were digitized at a pixel density comparable to the CCD using a flat-bed scanner. Square regions of interest were selected from proximal, middle, and distal regions of each bone. Fractal dimensions were estimated from the slope of regression lines fitted to plots of log power against log spatial frequency. RESULTS: The fractal dimensions estimates from digitized films were significantly greater than those produced from the CCD (P=0.0008). Estimated fractal dimensions of three types of bone were not significantly different (P=0.0544); however, the three regions of bones were significantly different (P=0.0239). The fractal dimensions estimated from radiographs of the proximal and distal regions of the bones were lower than comparable estimates obtained from the middle region. CONCLUSIONS: Different types of image receptors significantly affect estimates of fractal dimension. There was no difference in the fractal dimensions of the different bones but the three regions differed significantly.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

NASA NTRS2000

Real-time transmission of full-motion echocardiography over a high-speed data network: impact of data rate and network quality of service

With high-resolution network transmission required for telemedicine, education, and guided-image acquisition, the impact of errors and transmission rates on image quality needs evaluation. METHODS: We transmitted clinical echocardiograms from 2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research centers with the use of Motion Picture Expert Group-2 (MPEG-2) encoding and asynchronous transmission mode (ATM) network protocol over the NASA Research and Education Network. Data rates and network quality (cell losses [CLR], errors [CER], and delay variability [CVD]) were altered and image quality was judged. RESULTS: At speeds of 3 to 5 megabits per second (Mbps), digital images were superior to those on videotape; at 2 Mbps, images were equivalent. Increasing CLR caused occasional, brief pauses. Extreme CER and CDV increases still yielded high-quality images. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time echocardiographic acquisition, guidance, and transmission is feasible with the use of MPEG-2 and ATM with broadcast quality seen above 3 Mbps, even with severe network quality degradation. These techniques can be applied to telemedicine and used for planned echocardiography aboard the International Space Station.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

NASA NTRS2012

Update on Apollo Data Restoration by the NSSDC and the PDS Lunar Data Node

The Lunar Data Node (LDN) , under the auspices of the Geosciences Node of the Planetary Data System (PDS) and the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), is continuing its efforts to recover and restore Apollo science data. The data being restored are in large part archived with NSSDC on older media, but unarchived data are also being recovered from other sources. They are typically on 7- or 9-track magnetic tapes, often in obsolete formats, or held on microfilm, microfiche, or paper documents. The goal of the LDN is to restore these data from their current form, which is difficult for most researchers to access, into common digital formats with all necessary supporting data (metadata) and archive the data sets with PDS. Restoration involves reading the data from the original media, deciphering the data formats to produce readable digital data and converting the data into usable tabular formats. Each set of values in the table must then be understood in terms of the quantity measured and the units used. Information on instrument properties, operational history, and calibrations is gathered and added to the data set, along with pertinent references, contacts, and other ancillary documentation. The data set then undergoes a peer review and the final validated product is archived with PDS. Although much of this effort has concentrated on data archived at NSSDC in the 1970's, we have also recovered data and information that were never sent to NSSDC. These data, retrieved from various outside sources, include raw and reduced Gamma-Ray Spectrometer data from Apollos 15 and 16, information on the Apollo 17 Lunar Ejecta And Meteorites experiment, Dust Detector data from Apollos 11, 12, 14, and I5, raw telemetry tapes from the Apollo ALSEPs, and Weekly Status Reports for all the Apollo missions. These data are currently being read or organized, and supporting data is being gathered. We are still looking for the calibrated heat flow data from Apollos 15 and 17 for the period 1975-1977, any assistance or information on these data would be welcome. NSSDC has recently been tasked to release its hard-copy archive, comprising photography, microfilm, and microfiche. The details are still being discussed, but we are concentrating on recovering the valuable lunar data from these materials while they are still readily accessible. We have identified the most critical of these data and written a LASER proposal to fund their restoration. Included in this effort are data from the Apollo 15 and 16 Mass Spectrometers and the Apollo 17 Par-UV Spectrometer and ancillary information on the Apollo 17 Surface Electrical Properties Experiment.

Williams, David R.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Distributed Engine Control Empirical/Analytical Verification Tools

NASA's vision for an intelligent engine will be realized with the development of a truly distributed control system featuring highly reliable, modular, and dependable components capable of both surviving the harsh engine operating environment and decentralized functionality. A set of control system verification tools was developed and applied to a C-MAPSS40K engine model, and metrics were established to assess the stability and performance of these control systems on the same platform. A software tool was developed that allows designers to assemble easily a distributed control system in software and immediately assess the overall impacts of the system on the target (simulated) platform, allowing control system designers to converge rapidly on acceptable architectures with consideration to all required hardware elements. The software developed in this program will be installed on a distributed hardware-in-the-loop (DHIL) simulation tool to assist NASA and the Distributed Engine Control Working Group (DECWG) in integrating DCS (distributed engine control systems) components onto existing and next-generation engines.The distributed engine control simulator blockset for MATLAB/Simulink and hardware simulator provides the capability to simulate virtual subcomponents, as well as swap actual subcomponents for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) analysis. Subcomponents can be the communication network, smart sensor or actuator nodes, or a centralized control system. The distributed engine control blockset for MATLAB/Simulink is a software development tool. The software includes an engine simulation, a communication network simulation, control algorithms, and analysis algorithms set up in a modular environment for rapid simulation of different network architectures; the hardware consists of an embedded device running parts of the CMAPSS engine simulator and controlled through Simulink. The distributed engine control simulation, evaluation, and analysis technology provides unique capabilities to study the effects of a given change to the control system in the context of the distributed paradigm. The simulation tool can support treatment of all components within the control system, both virtual and real; these include communication data network, smart sensor and actuator nodes, centralized control system (FADEC full authority digital engine control), and the aircraft engine itself. The DECsim tool can allow simulation-based prototyping of control laws, control architectures, and decentralization strategies before hardware is integrated into the system. With the configuration specified, the simulator allows a variety of key factors to be systematically assessed. Such factors include control system performance, reliability, weight, and bandwidth utilization.

DeCastro, Jonathan↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Investigation of Hardware and Instrumentation to Measure Hand Grasp Activity with the Spacesuit Gloves

Introduction: During the 2022 suited injury summit, it was hypothesized that there will be concerns for hand and glove injuries for future exploration space missions, especially given the fact that the “total number of Extravehicular activity (EVA) hours and frequency” for lunar surface missions is expected to vastly increase [1]. It has been reported that the hands experienced the greatest “absolute numbers” of reported injuries and far exceeds other injuries during EVA [1, 2]. It was reported that the most fatiguing part of the surface EVA was the repetitive gripping tasks [3]. It was recommended that a “glove sub-team” be created to look at possible injury mechanism and mitigation strategies. Some of the recommendations that were suggested [1] are as follows: examine hand fatigue, utilize motion capture, examine the duration and frequency of hand movements, and identify frequent hand motions. We started assessing hardware and instrumentation to measure hand grasp activity in the pressurized glove environment. The purpose of this test was to perform a hardware evaluation for motion capture (MoCap) gloves obtained from StretchSense (Auckland, New Zealand). The specific gloves used were the Pro Fidelity and SuperSplay to determine the repeatability, reliability, feasibility, and useability inside of a pressurized gloved environment. Methods: The MoCap gloves were customized (e.g., battery/Bluetooth pack relocated to upper arm) to better suit the pressurized testing environment and protect the subject from unintentional injury (Fig. 1). Fourteen total subjects from different demographics (i.e., gender and pressurized glove experience level) participated in this test series. Testing included one session each of a baseline data collection (NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) building 21) and a spacesuit glove box (Fig. 2 at JSC building 7 room 2027) data collection (under vacuum down to 4.3 psid), where each session lasted 3-5 hours. Controlled and reproducible tasks to systematically evaluate the repeatability and reliability of the hardware were performed during baseline data collection. Additionally, subjects performed simulated EVA-like tasks in a pressurized gloved environment. For all sessions, MoCap gloves were placed on each of the subjects’ hands and the signal from it, or the raw capacitance (Fig. 3), was analysed. The raw capacitance was used to estimate the open and closed hand states between the testing conditions and allow us to provide an offset caused by the pressurized environment. Results & Discussion: Initial observation with the bare hands (baseline) condition showed that the MoCap gloves appeared to track grasping and releasing of the fingers (opening and closing fist) with both high- and low-speed conditions, while adduction and abduction of the fingers were not relatively tracked. A hardware evaluation was done outside of the glove box to assess the reliability and repeatability of the MoCap glove. In one task, a point force was applied to various locations on the back of the hand. When the point force was applied to the space between the 1st digit and the pointer finger, there was a noticeable distortion to the MoCap data. Another task examining an increasing force from a 10 lb. sandbag applied to the back of the hand while lying flat on a table, showed a constant flat line with only a distortion when the weight was increased or added to the back of the hand. Fig. 3 shows an object relocation task where you can see when each individual finger “opened” and “closed” (changed position) when picking up and setting down the dumbbell. When the fingers were stationary, the signal remained relatively flat compared to the peaks and valleys that can be observed in Fig. 3. This study showed promising results and imperative input into an attempt to discriminate between hand states across various functional tasks and should be evaluated with context to the repeatability and reliability outcomes. Depending on the task done inside of the pressurized glove box environment and outside, the results appear to be affected by many different factors (i.e., drift, pressure, hand size, etc.). Significance: If this hardware proves to be reliable and repeatable in determining the open and closed hand states then this may provide critical insight into assisting in the characterization of the pressurized gloved environment and the effect on crew member exertion level. Ultimately, this tool will provide useful data for quantifying the repetitive nature of EVA training and tasks. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the NASA Mars Campaign Office for providing funding for this research. Lastly, thanks to all the engineers and technicians at NASA JSC who helped with this data collection. References: [1] Reiber, et al. (2022), NASA/TM-20220007605; [2] Scheuring, et al. (2009), Av., Sp., and Envir. Med. 80(2). [3] Scheuring, et al. (2007), NASA/TM–2007–214755.

Rachel L Thompson↗

DOE OSTI2024

Analysis of Deformation and Fracture Mechanisms in the Harvested High-Dose Baffle-Former Bolt with Stress-Corrosion Cracks Formed While in Service

This report presents the results of advanced mechanical testing conducted on miniature tensile specimens excised from an irradiated baffle-former bolt, a commercial pressurized water reactor component. The specimens were extracted from the midsection of the bolt shank, where the estimated damage dose reached 23 displacements per atom. The mechanical testing included the following tests: (1) conventional tensile testing at room temperature, augmented by digital image correlation (DIC) to enable noncontact strain measurements, and (2) in situ tensile testing within a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) instrument equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detectors to evaluate active deformation and fracture mechanisms. Additionally, SEM fractographic analysis revealed alterations in the fracture mechanism from a predominantly ductile fracture in nonirradiated steel to a mixed fracture mode (still dominating ductile and minor cleavage spots) in irradiated specimens derived from the baffle bolts. The findings indicate a complex strain localization behavior for in-service irradiated steel specimens. Beyond conventional necking at the macro scale and defect-free channel formation at the micro scale, DIC results identified the presence of deformation bands approximately 100 μm in width. These bands consist of chains of grains exhibiting elevated local strain levels and may be considered an intermediate or mesoscale level of strain localization. These bands become discernible near the yield stress as localized hot spots, areas of elevated strain, persisting throughout most of the experiment. The formation of mesoscale deformation bands as a strain localization mechanism may exacerbate the defect-free channel formation in irradiated materials, further promoting irradiation-assisted stress corrosion crack initiation.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS1997

Functional specializations in human cerebral cortex analyzed using the Visible Man surface-based atlas

We used surface-based representations to analyze functional specializations in the human cerebral cortex. A computerized reconstruction of the cortical surface of the Visible Man digital atlas was generated and transformed to the Talairach coordinate system. This surface was also flattened and used to establish a surface-based coordinate system that respects the topology of the cortical sheet. The linkage between two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations allows the locations of published neuroimaging activation foci to be stereotaxically projected onto the Visible Man cortical flat map. An analysis of two activation studies related to the hearing and reading of music and of words illustrates how this approach permits the systematic estimation of the degree of functional segregation and of potential functional overlap for different aspects of sensory processing.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Expanding Repository Data Available For Sharing and Knowledge Discovery

Some of the hardest space biology and space health challenges require data-intensive, bioinformatic, meta-analytical, and computer-assisted research approaches. These challenges include examining interdisciplinary space life science research across experiments and across interacting spaceflight hazards (radiation, altered gravity, confinement, hostile-closed environments, distance-duration from Earth). The approaches to confront these challenges involve mining multiple datasets simultaneously from various hierarchical organizations of biological complexity, all while concurrently evaluating how experimental design factors affect endpoints of standard assays. To enable this field, it is essential that principal investigators (PIs) submit data in a structure so it can be maximally re-used. The purpose of the NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) is to collect, curate, and make publicly available all non-human space-relevant biological data. ALSDA must also ensure data are open-access, and maximally findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). The scope of ALSDA data collected and submitted by PIs include subject and study design metadata, assay metadata parameters, raw and processed assay data, assay imagery/video, and subject-experienced mission data telemetry (radiation, temperature, humidity, acoustics, vibrations, etc.). ALSDA recently integrated into a collaborative group of Open Science projects to facilitate a suite of new tools and workflows that will improve data submission, accessibility, and reusability by implementing digital data submission agreements, and adopting the data management system originally developed by NASA GeneLab. ALSDA intends to bring current biological repository data and all future collected data into this new scientific data reuse reality. This new suite of tools will enable ALSDA to deploy a science curation system using scientific assay configurations for the data submission portal. It will capture essential assay parameters according to established standards in each sub-field within biology. The submission portal expedites data collection by enhancing ease of PI data submission, providing a user interface and specificity for which data is to be submitted. Data submissions can be brought into cutting-edge informatic analysis portals to enable mining of physiological, behavioral, biochemical, and imaging datasets in conjunction with ‘omics-level datasets. As ALSDA datasets are submitted, curated, and published (e.g., micro-computed tomography, histology, pulse oximetry, serum metabolites, magnetic resonance imaging, intraocular pressure, novel object recognition, etc.), the merging together of spaceflight data along this multi-hierarchical complexity of biology will enable informatics and data-intensive approaches resulting in knowledge discoveries across missions, space hazards, and biological disciplines.

Biology↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Expanding Repository Data Available For Sharing And Knowledge Discovery

life science↗

DOE OSTI2025

Automation of Vulnerability and Patch Management: Information Extraction, Association, and Optimization

Vulnerability and patch management is an integral part of a robust cybersecurity program, yet it grows increasingly complex due to the sheer amount of data that must be analyzed. Particularly in Operational Technology (OT) environments, analysis must be done manually because of the lack of automated solutions. Additionally, there are many steps in this process, from the initial discovery of the vulnerability to the implementation of its remediation, and each step in the process requires different data in order to be performed effectively. In this work, we provide approaches and strategies to assist operators in industrial or OT environments throughout the vulnerability management cycle. Security advisories provide key information about mitigation strategies, or actions that can be taken when a patch is unavailable or cannot be installed. Details of these strategies are not shared in public vulnerability databases and must be found manually. We approach this problem by designing a solution to automatically identify that information within vendor security advisories and retrieve it for operator use. We start with an approach that requires domain-specific knowledge of certain frequently-seen reference websites. Next, an approach that can work on an arbitrary website but relies on certain keywords. Finally, an approach that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods and does not require specific knowledge or keywords. Each of these approaches is more general than its predecessor; we demonstrate high accuracy for all approaches Advisories also often contain details of affected products in non-standard or natural language formats. While this information can be easily understood when read by an operator, the non-standard format acts as a barrier to effective automation. We provide an approach for the first step in this process: identifying vendors in security advisories and mapping them to a standard framework for representing digital assets and software products. We evaluate five established string similarity algorithms, plus one of our own design that combines string similarity and information theory, on the task of mapping vendors to their corresponding entries in the Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) repository. Our results show that our proposed metric outperforms all others. Due to the constraints on time, finances, and personnel for organizations, Large Language Models (LLMs) may seem like attractive opportunities for security operators to speed up information gathering; however, it is still not clear whether LLMs can handle vulnerability management tasks well. To answer this question, we perform an empirical study of LLMs’ ability to provide consistent, accurate information about vulnerabilities in order to guide organizations in their adoption of LLMs. We observe poor performance for all models tested, suggesting that these models are not well-suited to the consistent retrieval of accurate vulnerability information. Finally, once vulnerabilities have been identified and any additional information has been obtained, operators must decide which remediation actions to implement based on their available resources. This already-complex problem becomes even more so when we consider that a vulnerability may have multiple avenues for remediation. We formulate this scenario as two knapsack problems and provide solutions, which we then compare against several existing strategies for vulnerability prioritization seen in real operational environments.

McClanahan, Kylie↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Celestial Mapping System and Digital Lunar Library Initiative

We are preparing to create an interactive, global 3D lunar environment with integrated dataset and AI/ML tools to provide unique value to mission planners, scientists and the entire lunar community. This lunar environment will be based on NASA Ames Celestial Mapping System (CMS) [1] and Digital Lunar Library (DLL) Initiative. CMS provides a 3D virtual Lunar Globe with extensive user friendly tool sets, that include high resolution terrain visualization, elevation profiles, measurement kits, slope analysis, path optimization, line of sight analysis, equipment planning and placement tools and many other functionalities [1]. It has a thick client with less overhead to access hardware resources. This allows features such as terrain profiling and distance calculations to be performed on the client and on the fly. The application is developed to provide situational and domain awareness on the Lunar surface, planning capabilities for equipment placements and traverse path optimization. As data becomes available, CMS has the capabilities to integrate data sets that change dynamically in real-time, which will be useful for monitoring satellites and remotely-sensed data on the Lunar surface. CMS supports importing synthetic features in a variety of 3D, 2D, vector and raster formats. In the future, these capabilities will be enhanced by incorporating AI/ML tools and a plug-in architecture to enable customization by the user groups. With the help of DLL we will be able to : 1) Amplify the value of lunar information with AI-powered data enhancements 2) Acquire and integrate lunar data with AI-assisted georectification and homogenization 3) Analyze lunar data with advanced 3D visualization, intelligent search-by-example 4) Apply lunar data insights to specific use cases with an open plug-in architecture. The CMS-DLL initiative will have several potential use cases for NASA and the lunar community in general, including subsurface lava tube visualization and analysis, soil analysis, in-situ lunar resource visualization and representation on 3D globe, and data analytics for utilization. REFERENCES: [1] https://celestial.arc.nasa.gov/

3D Globe↗

NASA NTRS2016

Pilot Field Test: Performance of a Sit-to-Stand Test After Long-Duration Space Flight

BACKGROUND: Astronauts returning from the International Space Station are met by a team of recovery personnel typically providing physical assistance and medical support immediately upon landing. That is because long-duration spaceflight impacts astronauts' functional abilities. Future expeditions to planets or asteroids beyond the low Earth orbit, however, may require crewmembers to egress the vehicle and perform other types of physical tasks unassisted. It is therefore important to characterize the extent and longevity of functional deficits experienced by astronauts in order to design safe exploration class missions. Pilot Field Test (PFT) experiment conducted with participation of ISS crewmembers traveling on Soyuz expeditions 34S - 41S comprised several tasks designed to study the recovery of sensorimotor abilities of astronauts during the first 24 hours after landing and beyond. METHODS: The first test in the PFT battery sequence, and also the least demanding one from the sensorimotor perspective, was a Sit-to-Stand test. Test subjects were seated in the chair and had to stand up on command and remain standing for ten seconds. The subjects were instructed to stand up unassisted as quickly as they were able to, while maintaining postural control. Synchronized wireless inertial sensors mounted on the head, chest, lower back, wrists, and ankles were used to continuously log body kinematics. Crewmembers' blood pressure and heart rate were monitored and recorded with the Portapres and Polar systems. Each session was recorded with a digital video camera. During data collections occurring within the 24-hour postflight period, crewmembers were also asked to (1) evaluate their perceived motion sickness symptoms on a 20-point scale before and after completion of the test and (2) estimate how heavy they felt compared to their normal (preflight) body weight. Consent to participate in PFT was obtained from 18 crewmembers (11 US Orbital Segment [USOS] astronauts and 7 Russian cosmonauts). For 10 subjects, the first set of data was collected in the medical tent in Soyuz landing zone (1-2 hours after landing); the other 8 subjects were tested at the Kazakhstan deployment airport (4-5 hours after landing). 8 of the 11 astronauts were tested twice more within the first 24 hours postflight, at a refueling stop on the way to Houston (approximately 13 hours after landing) and at the Johnson Space Center (approximately 24 hours after landing). Later postflight data were collected in the first two weeks on some crewmembers. Finally, 6 astronauts were tested 60+ days after landing to establish a delayed baseline. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Two of the 18 PFT participants felt too ill to attempt any tests in Kazakhstan (at either the landing zone or deployment airport). The remaining test subjects completed the Sit-to-Stand test and their reported motion sickness scores were unaffected by this task. The task completion times and body kinematics data analysis are currently underway. Preliminary analysis of astronaut data shows a steep improvement in the time to complete the task on the second data take, and in some cases, the trend continues through day six postflight. Head and trunk pitch angles and pitch rates were also examined and increases in all measures are evident throughout the observed recovery period (60+ days postflight). Interesting patterns of head and trunk pitch coordination have also emerged. One of the data analysis objectives is comparison of initial postflight performance and recovery of experienced crewmembers and first-time fliers. Another one - possible differences in performance between USOS and Russian crewmembers.

Kofman, I. S.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Business Case Analysis for Artificial Intelligence-Large Language Model Technology Integration

AI-assisted processes are expected to enhance operational efficiency and improve decision-making, supporting the long-term economic viability of nuclear power plants. However, detailed business analyses of AI-generated cost savings are rarely performed. Given the recent industry interest in Large Language Model (LLM), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program has conducted a comprehensive business case analysis of LLM Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in nuclear plant engineering workflows. The research employed three complementary business case approaches to evaluate impact of an LLM, using three representative engineering processes as use-cases: Boric Acid Corrosion (BAC) Evaluations, Maintenance Rule Evaluations, and 10 CFR 50.59 Screenings. Through detailed workload analyses and structured interviews, the study quantified significant efficiency improvements ranging from 11% to 59% across these processes. The research further considers how these efficiency gains could translate into tangible reliability improvements through enhanced engineering capacity. Analysis of historical plant trip data indicates that enabling engineers to focus on proactive reliability activities could provide substantial financial benefits through avoided outages, potentially generating greater value than the direct efficiency improvements alone. By documenting successful applications, implementation challenges, and strategic opportunities, this research provides nuclear utilities with a practical framework for evaluating the value of AI technology to support long-term operations through advanced digital technologies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1994

Eddy current correction in volume-localized MR spectroscopy

The quality of volume-localized magnetic resonance spectroscopy is affected by eddy currents caused by gradient switching. Eddy currents can be reduced with improved gradient systems; however, it has been suggested that the distortion due to eddy currents can be compensated for during postprocessing with a single-frequency reference signal. The authors propose modifying current techniques for acquiring the single-frequency reference signal by using relaxation weighting to reduce interference from components that cannot be eliminated by digital filtering alone. Additional sequences with T1 or T2 weighting for reference signal acquisition are shown to have the same eddy current characteristics as the original signal without relaxation weighting. The authors also studied a new eddy current correction method that does not require a single-frequency reference signal. This method uses two free induction decays (FIDs) collected from the same volume with two sequences with opposite gradients. Phase errors caused by eddy currents are opposite in these two FIDs and can be canceled completely by combining the FIDs. These methods were tested in a phantom. Eddy current distortions were corrected, allowing quantitative measurement of structures such as the -CH = CH- component, which is otherwise undetectable.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

NASA NTRS2008

In-Flight Operation of the Dawn Ion Propulsion System - The First Nine Months

The Dawn mission, part of NASA's Discovery Program, has as its goal the scientific exploration of the two most massive main-belt asteroids, Vesta and Ceres. The Dawn spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on September 27, 2007 on a Delta-II 7925H-9.5 (Delta-II Heavy) rocket that placed the 1218 kg spacecraft into an Earth-escape trajectory. On-board the spacecraft is an ion propulsion system (IPS) which will provide most of the delta-V needed for heliocentric transfer to Vesta, orbit capture at Vesta, transfer to Vesta science orbits, departure and escape from Vesta, heliocentric transfer to Ceres, orbit capture at Ceres, and transfer to Ceres science orbits. The Dawn ion engine design is based on the design validated on NASA's Deep Space 1 mission. However, because of the very substantial (11 km/s) delta-V requirements for this mission Dawn requires two engines to complete its mission objectives. The power processor units (PPU), digital control and interface units (DCIU) slice boards and the xenon control assembly (XCA) are also based on the DS1 design. The DCIUs and thrust gimbal assemblies (TGA) were developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft was provided by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Sterling, Virginia, and the mission is managed by and operated from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dawn partnered with Germany, Italy and Los Alamos National Laboratory for the science instruments. The mission is led by the principal investigator, Dr. Christopher Russell, from the University of California, Los Angeles. The first 80 days after launch were dedicated to the initial checkout of the spacecraft prior to the initiation of long-term thrusting for the heliocentric transfer to Vesta. The IPS hardware, consisting of three ion thrusters and TGAs, two PPUs and DCIUs, xenon feed system, and spacecraft control software, was investigated extensively. Thrust measurements, roll torque measurements, pointing capabilities, control characteristics, and thermal behavior of the spacecraft and IPS were carefully evaluated. The Dawn IPS fully met all its initial checkout performance objectives. Deterministic thrusting for cruise began on December 17, 2007. Over the subsequent approximately 330 days the IPS will be operated virtually continuously at full power thrusting (approximately 91 mN) leading to a Mars flyby in February 2009. The encounter with Mars provides a gravity assist for a plane change and is the only source of post-launch delta-V apart from the IPS. Following the Mars gravity assist IPS will be operated for approximately one year at full power and for 1.3 years at throttled power levels leading to rendezvous with Vesta in August of 2011. Following nine months of orbital operations with IPS providing the propulsion needed for orbit capture, science orbit transfer and orbit maintenance and Vesta escape, Dawn will transit to Ceres with an expected arrival date of February 2015. As of June 16, 2008 the ion thrusters on Dawn have operated for close to 3,846 hours and have delivered nearly 1 km/s of delta-V to the spacecraft. Dawn IPS operation has been almost flawless during the initial checkout and six months of cruise. This paper provides an overview of Dawn's mission objectives, mission and system design, and the results of the post-launch Dawn IPS mission operations through June 2008

Garner, Charles E.↗