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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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Neo – Mars Adaptive Training Integrative Knowledge System (MATRIKS) to Improve Operational Performance and its Neural Basis for Spaceflight

With prolonged mission durations, spaceflight crews will become increasingly dependent on onboard technologies for knowledge acquisition and maintenance. It is expected that not all skills and knowledge required for these missions can be retained and retrieved based on pre-mission training alone. Limited and delayed communication will significantly constrain support from Mission Control and crews will increasingly rely on autonomous onboard technologies to successfully perform post-landing operations. With the present project we will target NASA’s particular interest in developing and assessing an adaptive, just-in-time countermeasure that will consolidate and improve skills that are most relevant to space flight operations. To achieve this aim, NASA established a Virtual NASA Specialized Center of Research (VNSCOR)referred to as “Mars Adaptive Training Integrative Knowledge System (MATRIKS)”, comprising the following three projects: (1) “Trinity–Multi-Environment Virtual Training for Long Duration Exploration Missions”, PI: A. Anderson (UC Boulder); (2) “Morpheus–A Haptic Sensory Supplement to Optimize In-Flight Adaptive Training for Human Control of Spacecraft Robotic Arms”, PI: S. Robinson, UC Davis); and the present project “Neo–Adaptive Training integrative knowledge System to Improve Operational Performance and its Neural Basis for Spaceflight” (UPenn, PI: A.C. Stahn). Neo leverages a validated workstation called 6DF that simulates a rendezvous and docking maneuver using real spacecraft flight dynamics. It is designed to (1) train and improve sensorimotor skills relevant for inflight and post-landing operational tasks; (2) feature an autonomous and adaptive training approach that does not rely on feedback from flight operations on the ground; (3) maximize the transfer of mission-relevant motor skills; (4) allow the assessment of the neural circuitry underlying the task; and (5) deliver the training in a motivating and meaningful way to astronauts. Neocomprises two overarching aims: First, we will identify the neural circuitry underlying spaceflight relevant tasks by performing a subset of the 6DFtaskduring functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)in a total of up to N=30 subjects with varying levels of 6DF training experience. Second, as part of the above-mentioned VNSCOR MATRIKS the proposed 6DF autonomous intelligent tutor system will be integrated in an additive manner with a haptic feedback intervention (Morpheus), and a multi-environment virtual trainer(Trinity).It is expected that Neo, Morpheus and Trinity mutually complement each other to facilitate an effective countermeasure tool to acquire and retain operational skills that are critical for exploration class missions. To assess the efficacy of this combined effort, the VNSCOR MATRIKS will collect data inN=16 crew members in one HERA campaign of 45 days duration with N=16 crew members(four missions with N=4 crew member seach).The primary goal is to identify changes in operational performance as assessed by NASA’s simulator of Canadarm2 operations, i.e., Robotic On-board Trainer (ROBoT-r) in response to MATRIKS. As part of Neo we will also identify if, and to what extent MATRIKS will promote transfer to general cognitive performance (Cognition battery), distinctive visuo-spatial tasks critical for telerobotic tasks (Spatial Cognition battery), and affect brain structural changes and the neural circuitry of key brain networks expected to be relevant for spaceflight-related performance. At the conclusion of the research, we will have defined and demonstrated the use of a neuroscience-based, adaptive training integrative knowledge system to potentially mitigate visuo-spatial and sensorimotor brain changes associated with prolonged isolation and confinement to reduce the likelihood or impact of potential decrements in human performance capabilities during long-duration space missions. The expected significance of this 4-year project relates to its relevance for facilitating effective countermeasure tools to acquire and retain operational skills that are critical for exploration class missions. This will support the development of necessary countermeasures and technologies in support of human space exploration, focusing on mitigating operational performance risks.

A C Stahn↗
DOE OSTI2025

Loop-string-hadron approach to SU(3) lattice Yang-Mills theory: Hilbert space of a trivalent vertex

The construction of gauge-invariant states of SU(3) lattice gauge theories has garnered new interest in recent years, but implementing them is complicated by the need for SU(3) Clebsch-Gordon coefficients. In the loop-string-hadron (LSH) approach to lattice gauge theories, the elementary excitations are strictly gauge invariant, and constructing the basis requires no knowledge of Clebsch-Gordon coefficients. Originally developed for SU(2), the LSH formulation was recently generalized to SU(3), but limited to one spatial dimension. In this work, we generalize the LSH approach to constructing the basis of SU(3) gauge-invariant states at a trivalent vertex—the essential building block to multidimensional space. A direct generalization from the SU(2) vertex yields a legitimate basis; however, in certain sectors of the Hilbert space, the naive LSH basis vectors so defined suffer from being nonorthogonal. The issues with orthogonality are directly related to the “missing label” or “outer multiplicity” problem associated with SU(3) tensor products and may also be phrased in terms of Littlewood-Richardson coefficients or the need for a “seventh Casimir” operator. The states that are unaffected by the problem are orthonormalized in closed form. For the sectors that are afflicted, we discuss the nonorthogonal bases and their orthogonalization. A few candidates for seventh Casimir operators are readily constructed from the suite of LSH gauge-singlet operators. The diagonalization of a seventh Casimir represents one prescriptive solution toward obtaining a complete orthonormal basis, but a closed-form general solution remains to be found. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Structural Basis for Inhibition of the Complement Initiator Protease C1r by Lyme Disease Spirochetes

Abstract Complement evasion is a hallmark of extracellular microbial pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Lyme disease spirochetes express nearly a dozen outer surface lipoproteins that bind complement components and interfere with their native activities. Among these, BBK32 is unique in its selective inhibition of the classical pathway. BBK32 blocks activation of this pathway by selectively binding and inhibiting the C1r serine protease of the first component of complement, C1. To understand the structural basis for BBK32-mediated C1r inhibition, we performed crystallography and size-exclusion chromatography–coupled small angle X-ray scattering experiments, which revealed a molecular model of BBK32-C in complex with activated human C1r. Structure-guided site-directed mutagenesis was combined with surface plasmon resonance binding experiments and assays of complement function to validate the predicted molecular interface. Analysis of the structures shows that BBK32 inhibits activated forms of C1r by occluding substrate interaction subsites (i.e., S1 and S1’) and reveals a surprising role for C1r B loop–interacting residues for full inhibitory activity of BBK32. The studies reported in this article provide for the first time (to our knowledge) a structural basis for classical pathway–specific inhibition by a human pathogen.

Garrigues, Ryan J. (ORCID:0000000259233250)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reduction of the molecular hamiltonian matrix using quantum community detection

Abstract Quantum chemistry is interested in calculating ground and excited states of molecular systems by solving the electronic Schrödinger equation. The exact numerical solution of this equation, frequently represented as an eigenvalue problem, remains unfeasible for most molecules and requires approximate methods. In this paper we introduce the use of Quantum Community Detection performed using the D-Wave quantum annealer to reduce the molecular Hamiltonian matrix in Slater determinant basis without chemical knowledge. Given a molecule represented by a matrix of Slater determinants, the connectivity between Slater determinants (as off-diagonal elements) is viewed as a graph adjacency matrix for determining multiple communities based on modularity maximization. A gauge metric based on perturbation theory is used to determine the lowest energy cluster. This cluster or sub-matrix of Slater determinants is used to calculate approximate ground state and excited state energies within chemical accuracy. The details of this method are described along with demonstrating its performance across multiple molecules of interest and bond dissociation cases. These examples provide proof-of-principle results for approximate solution of the electronic structure problem using quantum computing. This approach is general and shows potential to reduce the computational complexity of post-Hartree–Fock methods as future advances in quantum hardware become available.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

CODEX clusters

Context: Large area catalogs of galaxy clusters constructed from ROSAT All-Sky Survey provide the basis for our knowledge of the population of clusters thanks to long-term multiwavelength efforts to follow up observations of these clusters. Aims: The advent of large area photometric surveys superseding previous, in-depth all-sky data allows us to revisit the construction of X-ray cluster catalogs, extending the study to lower cluster masses and higher redshifts and providing modeling of the selection function. Methods: We performed a wavelet detection of X-ray sources and made extensive simulations of the detection of clusters in the RASS data. We assigned an optical richness to each of the 24 788 detected X-ray sources in the 10 382 square degrees of the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey area using red sequence cluster finder redMaPPer version 5.2 run on Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometry. We named this survey COnstrain Dark Energy with X-ray (CODEX) clusters. Results: We show that there is no obvious separation of sources on galaxy clusters and active galactic nuclei (AGN) based on the distribution of systems on their richness. This is a combination of an increasing number of galaxy groups and their selection via the identification of X-ray sources either by chance or by groups hosting an AGN. To clean the sample, we use a cut on the optical richness at the level corresponding to the 10% completeness of the survey and include it in the modeling of the cluster selection function. We present the X-ray catalog extending to a redshift of 0.6. Conclusions: The CODEX suvey is the first large area X-ray selected catalog of northern clusters reaching fluxes of 10 –13 ergs s –1 cm –2 . We provide modeling of the sample selection and discuss the redshift evolution of the high end of the X-ray luminosity function (XLF). Our results on z < 0.3 XLF agree with previous studies, while we provide new constraints on the 0.3 < z < 0.6 XLF. We find a lack of strong redshift evolution of the XLF, provide exact modeling of the effect of low number statistics and AGN contamination, and present the resulting constraints on the flat ΛCDM.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

In-plane Wilson loop for measurement of quantized non-Abelian Berry flux

Band topology of anomalous quantum Hall insulators can be precisely addressed by computing the Chern numbers of constituent nondegenerate bands, describing the presence of quantized, Abelian Berry flux through the two-dimensional Brillouin zone. Can Berry flux be captured for the SU (2) Berry connection of two -fold degenerate bands in spinful materials preserving space -inversion ($\mathscr{P}$) and time -reversal ($\mathscr{T}$) symmetries without detailed knowledge of underlying basis? We address this question by investigating the correspondence between a non -Abelian generalization of Stokes' theorem and the manifestly gauge -invariant eigenvalues of Wilson loops computed along in -plane contours which preserve the underlying crystalline symmetry. The importance of this correspondence is elucidated by performing natural number resolved classification of ab initio band structures of three-dimensional, Dirac materials. Further, our work underscores how identification of quantized Berry flux, both Abelian and non -Abelian, offers a unified framework for addressing first -order and higher -order topology of insulators and semimetals.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) Prediction of Mixed Mass-Heat-Crystallization Limited Methane Hydrate Formation and Dissociation in Micro-Confinement

The creation and use of Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) for simulating the dynamics of methane hydrate formation and dissociation will be presented. The PINN framework's main benefit is its capacity to impose physical consistency with only a partial comprehension of the governing equations. This makes the algorithm especially useful for systems with little experimental evidence or a lack of theoretical knowledge. A strong basis for forecasting methane hydrate behavior over the verified operating ranges of 30.0-80.9 bar pressure and 1.0-4.0 K sub-cooling conditions is provided by the combination of conductive heat transfer equations and mixed mass-transfer–crystallization kinetics. PINNs were more accurate at predicting the mixed mass-heat-crystallization limited kinetics than conventional Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), demonstrating remarkable predictive accuracy for methane hydrate production over the ANN model. The efficiency of incorporating physical limitations from first principles into machine learning frameworks for methane hydrate crystallizations is reinforced by these findings. For hydrate-related applications in energy generation, carbon sequestration, and climate modelling, our study establishes PINNs as a computational tool that is both scalable and efficient. The proven capacity to close the gap between conventional physics-based simulations and solely data-driven models creates new opportunities for expedited hydrate research and practical applications.

Hartman, Ryan L [NYU Tandon School of Engineering]↗
NASA NTRS1975

A search for sulfide-bearing areas using LANDSAT-1 data and digital image-processing techniques

Two experiments were conducted using LANDSAT-1 multispectral scanner data to identify ground features that are indicators of sulfide-bearing rock. A nearby known sulfide deposit was used as a control. In the first experiment, false-color composites were examined visually to locate possible favorable areas; in the second, favorable areas were classified by digital-computer processing. The results of the experiment show that outcrops of hydrothermally altered and mineralized rock can be identified from LANDSAT-1 data under favorable conditions. The empirical method of digital-computer classification of the multispectral scanner data was relatively unrefined and rapid. The five mineralized prospecting sites identified are in locations that the geologist would not have selected as favorable on the basis of geologic knowledge or photogeologic interpretation at the time of the investigation.

Schmidt, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Investigation of test methods, material properties and processes for solar cell encapsulants

The potentially useful encapsulating materials for Task 3 of the Low-Cost Silicon Solar Array project were studied to identify, evaluate, and recommend encapsulant materials and processes for the production of cost-effective, long-life solar cell modules. Materials for study were chosen on the basis of existing knowledge of generic chemical types having high resistance to environmental weathering. The materials varied from rubbers to thermoplastics and presented a broad range of mechanical properties and processing requirements. Basic physical and optical properties were measured on the polymers and were redetermined after exposure to indoor artificial accelerated aging conditions covering four time periods. Strengths and weaknesses of the various materials were revealed and data was accumulated for the development of predictive methodologies. To date, silicone rubbers, fluorocarbons, and acrylic polymers appear to have the most promising combination of characteristics. The fluorocarbons may be used only as films, however, because of their high cost.

Willis, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Alloy design with oxide dispersoids and precipitates

The mechanical behavior of particle-strengthened alloys is reviewed. On the basis of this knowledge, it is concluded that second-phase particles, coherent or incoherent, can enhance the flow strength, creep resistance, and stress-rupture life of alloys. Unfortunately, particles are usually not beneficial alloy-design elements if enhanced uniaxial ductility, plane-strain ductility, stress-rupture ductility, and toughness are called for. Such properties as fatigue-crack propagation resistance appear to require, for example, both high strength and high ductility, a situation which can come to pass only when the perennial conflict between strength and ductility is resolved in particle-strengthened systems in particular and in any other material system in general. Wherever possible, the role of coherent and incoherent particles in alloy design is distinguished.

Tien, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cometary comae

The basis of our knowledge about the structure and composition of a comet nucleus is examined. Such knowledge is inferred from observations of the cometary atmosphere (coma). However, photodissociation, photoionization, and chemistry destroy the mother molecules evaporating from the nucleus. To extract the primary information, the chemical kinetics and the physics of the coma are modeled with a computer and the results are compared with coma observations. The physics and chemistry for a dust free coma are described taking into account energy balance, multi-fluid flow for fast atomic and molecular hydrogen and the bulk fluid, and the transition from a collision dominated inner region to the free molecular flow outer region. Special attention is paid to the molecular data requirements for the current modeld and for extended models which will include solar wind interaction and dust. Such models are an important tool in support of the Giotto mission to Halley's comet, in the analysis and interpretation of coma observations, and in the understanding of the earliest history of the solar system.

Huebner, W. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Visual perception and grasping for the extravehicular activity robot

The development of an approach to the visual perception of object surface information using laser range data in support of robotic grasping is discussed. This is a very important problem area in that a robot such as the EVAR must be able to formulate a grasping strategy on the basis of its knowledge of the surface structure of the object. A description of the problem domain is given as well as a formulation of an algorithm which derives an object surface description adequate to support robotic grasping. The algorithm is based upon concepts of differential geometry namely, Gaussian and mean curvature.

Starks, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Observed velocity fluctuations on a major Antarctic ice stream

Recent ice velocity measurements on the major Antarctic Ice Stream B are compared with those collected 10 years ago. The results show that the ice flow in the mouth of Ice Stream B has decelerated by about 20 percent. The possible causes of this deceleration are discussed on the basis of present knowledge of current regional dynamics, and the possible effects of this deceleration on future ice stream behavior are examined.

Stephenson, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

College education

Space Grant Colleges and Universities must build the space curriculum of the future on the firm basis of deep knowledge of an involvement with the present operating programs of the nation and an on-going and extensive program of leading edge research in the aerospace sciences and engineering, management, law, finance, and the other arts that are integral to our planetary society. The Space Grant College and Fellowship Program must create new academic fields of enquiry, which is a long and difficult process that will require deeper and broader interaction between NASA and academia than has previously existed.

Criswell, David R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Equally parsimonious pathways through an RNA sequence space are not equally likely

An experimental system for determining the potential ability of sequences resembling 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) to perform as functional 5S rRNAs in vivo in the Escherichia coli cellular environment was devised previously. Presumably, the only 5S rRNA sequences that would have been fixed by ancestral populations are ones that were functionally valid, and hence the actual historical paths taken through RNA sequence space during 5S rRNA evolution would have most likely utilized valid sequences. Herein, we examine the potential validity of all sequence intermediates along alternative equally parsimonious trajectories through RNA sequence space which connect two pairs of sequences that had previously been shown to behave as valid 5S rRNAs in E. coli. The first trajectory requires a total of four changes. The 14 sequence intermediates provide 24 apparently equally parsimonious paths by which the transition could occur. The second trajectory involves three changes, six intermediate sequences, and six potentially equally parsimonious paths. In total, only eight of the 20 sequence intermediates were found to be clearly invalid. As a consequence of the position of these invalid intermediates in the sequence space, seven of the 30 possible paths consisted of exclusively valid sequences. In several cases, the apparent validity/invalidity of the intermediate sequences could not be anticipated on the basis of current knowledge of the 5S rRNA structure. This suggests that the interdependencies in RNA sequence space may be more complex than currently appreciated. If ancestral sequences predicted by parsimony are to be regarded as actual historical sequences, then the present results would suggest that they should also satisfy a validity requirement and that, in at least limited cases, this conjecture can be tested experimentally.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2006

Utilizing AI in Temporal, Spatial, and Resource Scheduling

Aurora is a software system enabling the rapid, easy solution of complex scheduling problems involving spatial and temporal constraints among operations and scarce resources (such as equipment, workspace, and human experts). Although developed for use in the International Space Station Processing Facility, Aurora is flexible enough that it can be easily customized for application to other scheduling domains and adapted as the requirements change or become more precisely known over time. Aurora s scheduling module utilizes artificial-intelligence (AI) techniques to make scheduling decisions on the basis of domain knowledge, including knowledge of constraints and their relative importance, interdependencies among operations, and possibly frequent changes in governing schedule requirements. Unlike many other scheduling software systems, Aurora focuses on resource requirements and temporal scheduling in combination. For example, Aurora can accommodate a domain requirement to schedule two subsequent operations to locations adjacent to a shared resource. The graphical interface allows the user to quickly visualize the schedule and perform changes reflecting additional knowledge or alterations in the situation. For example, the user might drag the activity corresponding to the start of operations to reflect a late delivery.

Stottler, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2007

Planetary Magnetism

The chapter on Planetary Magnetism by Connerney describes the magnetic fields of the planets, from Mercury to Neptune, including the large satellites (Moon, Ganymede) that have or once had active dynamos. The chapter describes the spacecraft missions and observations that, along with select remote observations, form the basis of our knowledge of planetary magnetic fields. Connerney describes the methods of analysis used to characterize planetary magnetic fields, and the models used to represent the main field (due to dynamo action in the planet's interior) and/or remnant magnetic fields locked in the planet's crust, where appropriate. These observations provide valuable insights into dynamo generation of magnetic fields, the structure and composition of planetary interiors, and the evolution of planets.

Magnetospheres↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mobile/Modular BSL-4 Facilities for Meeting Restricted Earth Return Containment Requirements

NASA robotic sample return missions designated Category V Restricted Earth Return by the NASA Planetary Protection Office require sample containment and biohazard testing in a receiving laboratory as directed by NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 8020.12D - ensuring the preservation and protection of Earth and the sample. Currently, NPR 8020.12D classifies Restricted Earth Return for robotic sample return missions from Mars, Europa, and Enceladus with the caveat that future proposed mission locations could be added or restrictions lifted on a case by case basis as scientific knowledge and understanding of biohazards progresses. Since the 1960s, sample containment from an unknown extraterrestrial biohazard have been related to the highest containment standards and protocols known to modern science. Today, Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 standards and protocols are used to study the most dangerous high-risk diseases and unknown biological agents on Earth. Over 30 BSL-4 facilities have been constructed worldwide with 12 residing in the United States; of theses, 8 are operational. In the last two decades, these brick and mortar facilities have cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars dependent on the facility requirements and size. Previous mission concept studies for constructing a NASA sample receiving facility with an integrated BSL-4 quarantine and biohazard testing facility have also been estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. As an alternative option, we have recently conducted an initial trade study for constructing a mobile and/or modular sample containment laboratory that would meet all BSL-4 and planetary protection standards and protocols at a faction of the cost. Mobile and modular BSL-2 and 3 facilities have been successfully constructed and deployed world-wide for government testing of pathogens and pharmaceutical production. Our study showed that a modular BSL-4 construction could result in approximately 90% cost reduction when compared to traditional construction methods without compromising the preservation of the sample or Earth.

Calaway, M. J.↗