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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetics Testing on Radioisotope Power Systems at the Idaho National Laboratory

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) to power deep-space and planetary explorations such as Cassini-Huygens, Galileo, New Horizons, Mars Science Laboratory—Curiosity, and most recently Mars 2020--Perseverance. The Space Nuclear Power and Isotope Technologies (SNPIT) division, at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), fuels, tests, and delivers the RPS to ensure it can provide the electrical power needed to complete mission objectives. Some space crafts have instrumentation specifically designed to study the subject’s magnetic field or may have instruments that can be affected by magnetic fields produced by the RPS. Analyzing and measuring the RPS’s magnetic fields ensures the required thresholds are not exceeded and accurate data can be collected for the mission. Magnetics testing provides numerical values of the RPS’s magnetic field. During Magnetics testing at INL, the RPS is placed on a resistive load to simulate actual spacecraft load characteristics (voltage and current). During this simulation, magnetometers are used to measure the magnetic field of the RPS. Raw data is collected and then analyzed to ensure the field created by the RPS is below NASA thresholds or that the magnitude of the field is accounted for to ensure mission success.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing jet base emission of M87* with the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope observations

We investigate the presence and spatial characteristics of the jet base emission in M87* at 230 GHz, enabled by the significantly enhanced (u,v) coverage in the 2021 Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations. The integration of the 12−m Kitt Peak Telescope (USA) and NOEMA (France) stations into the array introduces two critical intermediate-length baselines to SMT (USA) and IRAM 30−m (Spain), providing sensitivity to emission structures at spatial scales of ∼250 μas and ∼2500 μas (∼ 0.02 pc and ∼ 0.02 pc). Without these new baselines, previous EHT observations of the source in 2017 and 2018 lacked the capability to constrain emission on large scales, where a “missing flux” of order ∼1 Jy is expected to reside. To probe these scales, we analyzed closure phases–robust against station-based gain calibration errors–and model the jet base emission using a simple Gaussian component offset from the compact ring emission at spatial separations > 100 μas. Our analysis revealed a Gaussian feature centered at (ΔRA ≈ 320 μ as, ΔDec. ≈ 60 μ as), projected separation of ≈ 5500 AU, with an estimated flux density of only ∼60 mJy, implying that most of the missing flux identified in previous EHT studies had to originate from different, larger scales. Brighter emission at the relevant spatial scales is firmly ruled out, and the data do not favor more complex models. This component aligns with the inferred position of the large-scale jet and is therefore physically consistent with the emission of the jet base. While our findings point to detectable jet base emission at 230 GHz, the limited coverage provided by only two intermediate baselines limits our ability to robustly reconstruct its morphology. Consequently, we treated the recovered Gaussian as an upper limit on the jet base flux density. Future EHT observations with expanded intermediate baseline coverage will be essential to constrain the structure and nature of this component with higher precision.

accretion, accretion disks↗
DOE OSTI2026

Locating the missing large-scale emission in the jet of M87* with short EHT baselines

In very-long baseline interferometric arrays, nearly co-located stations probe the largest scales and typically cannot resolve the observed source. In the absence of a large-scale structure, closure phases constructed with these stations are zero and, since they are independent of station-based errors, they can be used to probe data issues. Here, we show how these trivial closure phases become nonzero with a brightness distribution on smaller scales than their short baseline would suggest. When applied to sources that are made up of a bright compact and large-scale diffuse component, the trivial closure phases directly measure the centroid relative to the compact source and higher-order image moments. We present a technique to measure these image moments with minimal model assumptions and validate it on synthetic Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) data. We then apply this technique to 2017 and 2018 EHT observations of M87* and find a weak preference for extended emission in the direction of the large-scale jet. We also apply it to 2021 EHT data and measure the source centroid about 1 mas northwest of the compact ring, which is consistent with the jet observed at lower frequencies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dust Direct Radiative Effect Including Large Particles and Component Minerals

The direct radiative effect (DRE) of dust aerosols in Earth system models (ESMs) remains highly uncertain, largely due to inadequate representations of particle size distribution (PSD) and mineral composition. Using NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) soil mineralogy data and observed PSD in an ESM that resolves dust mineral composition and emitted diameters from 0.1 to 70 μm, we find a near-neutral global dust net DRE (−0.057 W m −2 ), weaker than most previous estimates. Large dust (diameter >10 μm) contributes 30% of the global longwave dust optical depth, providing observational constraints on large-particle abundance, and offsets 20% of the dust shortwave cooling over major source regions. Incorporation of EMIT mineralogy reduces shortwave uncertainty by more than 50%. The remaining uncertainty mainly exists in processes controlling dust abundance, particularly the poorly understood transport of large dust, and longwave optical properties, which require additional observational constraints to more accurately quantify the dust DRE.

Li, Longlei [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United Sta↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-resolution lidar observations of sedimentation-induced size sorting of droplets near a laboratory cloud top

Cloud optical properties and precipitation, which are crucial to weather and climate, are strongly influenced by cloud microphysical properties that are still poorly understood. Here, we develop a high-resolution time-correlated single-photon-counting lidar and apply it to observe cloud microphysical properties at one-centimeter range resolution in a convection chamber under well-controlled conditions. Together with concurrent in-situ measurements and theoretical analysis, our lidar observations indicate that although turbulent mixing tends to homogenize the cloud in the bulk region, entrainment and sedimentation cause inhomogeneities in droplet concentrations near the cloud top. Specifically, the topmost region is directly affected by entrainment, and lidar profiles show clear evidence of entrained air and detrained cloud filament. The transition region below exhibits vertical size sorting of cloud droplets caused by sedimentation. Our results suggest that using a single sedimentation velocity for all cloud droplets, as is done in many atmospheric models, overlooks key physics relevant to the microphysical structure near the cloud top. In conclusion, our conceptual model used to describe these measurements can serve as a step toward improving the current modeling of processes in the cloud top region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Full-polarization millimeter wavelength variability of Sagittarius A * during the 2018 EHT campaign

Context. Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, provides a unique laboratory to study accretion dynamics and plasma processes near the event horizon. Aims. We investigated the variability and polarization properties of Sgr A* using ALMA observations during the 2018 Event Horizon Telescope campaign. Methods. We analyzed high-cadence full-polarization light curves from ALMA at millimeter wavelengths, performed time-series analysis, and investigated the temporal behavior during an X-ray flare observed by Chandra on 2018 April 24. The variability characteristics are compared with expectations from standard accretion flow models. Results. We find low variability in total intensity (σ/μ < 10%), but significantly higher variability in linear and circular polarization (∼30% and ∼50%, respectively). A time-series analysis reveals red-noise variability, with power spectral densities between −2 and −3 across all Stokes parameters. Polarized intensity shows stable intra-day timescales, while total intensity exhibits more variable timescales, suggesting distinct emission regions, with polarization likely arising from a coherent structure. On April 24, a statistically significant inter-band delay in polarized intensity coincides with a near-simultaneous X-ray and millimeter peak that deviates from the typical delayed flare scenario. This event also features enhanced millimeter variability and coherent polarization loop evolution. The observed simultaneity challenges standard models of transient synchrotron emission with cooling delays, favoring instead a scenario of continuous energy injection in an optically thin region. Conclusions. Our results offer new constraints on the physical mechanisms driving variability in Sgr A*, and provide key observational input for refining theoretical models of accretion and plasma behavior in the vicinity of supermassive black holes.

Galaxy: center↗
DOE OSTI2026

Spatially resolved polarization swings in the supermassive binary black hole candidate OJ 287 with first Event Horizon Telescope observations

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope 1.3 mm observations of the supermassive binary black hole candidate OJ 287. The observations achieved an unprecedented angular resolution of 18 μas and reveal significant structural and polarization variability over just five days, marking the shortest timescale on which such changes have been directly imaged in this source. The inner jet exhibits a twisted ridgeline structure, with features displaying apparent superluminal motions up to about 22 c. The linear polarization maps reveal three main polarized features whose electric-vector position angles (EVPAs) change substantially over the time span of our observations, including a component with a radial polarization consistent with being produced by a recollimation shock. Most notably, we directly resolved two innermost jet components whose EVPAs rotate in opposite directions. The faster component, moving at 2.4 ± 0.9 μas/day (17.4 ± 6.5 c), exhibits counterclockwise EVPA swings of roughly 3.7° per day, while the slower component, with a proper motion of 1.4 ± 0.3 μas/day (10.2 ± 2.2 c), rotates clockwise at approximately 2.5° per day. Previous studies inferred helical magnetic fields in AGN jets from time-resolved or integrated polarization variability but lacked the angular resolution to directly image this effect. Our results provide spatially resolved evidence that a helical magnetic field threads the jet’s collimation and acceleration zone, ruling out models based on the superposition of unresolved components. Our analysis suggests that propagating shocks interact with a Kelvin–Helmholtz plasma instability, illuminating different phases of the helical magnetic field and producing the observed polarization spatial and temporal variability. Moreover, our model naturally accounts for the more rapid polarization rotation observed in the faster moving component. Our model predicts even more rapid swings in polarization, which could be tested with future observations featuring a more densely sampled time coverage.

OJ 287↗
DOE OSTI2025

Analyzing LF/VLF Lightning Waveforms to Estimate D-region Electron Density Profiles

Lightning waveforms in the low frequency (LF; 30-300 kHz) and the very low frequency (VLF; 3-30 kHz) bands can be exploited to produce data-driven ionospheric D-region electron density profile (EDP) estimates with significantly higher spatial and temporal coverage than previously available. The lightning waveforms used in this paper are signals detected in the LF/VLF of negative cloud-to-ground lightning by the Earth Networks Total Lightning Detection Network. Each waveform contains a ground wave and a time-delayed ionospheric reflection. The time delay between the ground wave and ionospheric reflection has previously been used to estimate a single specular reflection altitude, where LF/VLF emissions are reflected by the ionosphere. Here, we expand upon previous methods to include filtering and spectral analysis, and account for oblique propagation to produce higher-order estimates for reflection altitudes and corresponding electron densities. Once estimated, reflection altitudes and corresponding electron densities can be used to derive parameters β and h’, which define an EDP for the D-region. In this study, the lightning waveform (LW) analysis is demonstrated using a single representative 24-hour dataset over the Southeast United States, and then extended to a total of 10 separate datasets with varying locations and ionospheric conditions. The LW-derived D-region EDPs are in agreement with predictions made by the Faraday International Reference Ionosphere model, and the LW EDPs β and h’ values are consistent with previous LF/VLF-derived estimates.

D-region ionosphere↗
DOE OSTI2025

Navigating the Noise: Bringing Clarity to ML Parameterization Design With O $\boldsymbol{\mathcal{O}}$(100) Ensembles

Abstract Machine‐learning (ML) parameterizations of subgrid processes (here of turbulence, convection, and radiation) may one day replace conventional parameterizations by emulating high‐resolution physics without the cost of explicit simulation. However, uncertainty about the relationship between offline and online performance (i.e., when integrated with a large‐scale general circulation model) hinders their development. Much of this uncertainty stems from limited sampling of the noisy, emergent effects of upstream ML design decisions on downstream online hybrid simulation. Our work rectifies the sampling issue via the construction of a semi‐automated, end‐to‐end pipeline for size ensembles of hybrid simulations, revealing important nuances in how systematic reductions in offline error manifest in changes to online error and online stability. For example, removing dropout and switching from a Mean Squared Error to a Mean Absolute Error loss both reduce offline error, but they have opposite effects on online error and online stability. Other design decisions, like incorporating memory, converting moisture input from specific humidity to relative humidity, using batch normalization, and training on multiple climates do not come with any such compromises. Finally, we show that ensemble sizes of may be necessary to reliably detect causally relevant differences online. By enabling rapid online experimentation at scale, we can empirically settle debates regarding subgrid ML parameterization design that would have otherwise remained unresolved in the noise.

Lin, Jerry [Department of Earth System Sciences Un↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Comprehensive Framework for Assessing Terrestrial Analogue Field Sites for Ocean Worlds

Field studies at terrestrial analogue sites represent an important contribution to the science of ocean worlds. The value of the science and technology investigations conducted at field analogue sites depends on the relevance of the analogue environment to the target ocean world. We accept that there are no perfect analogues for many of the unique environments represented by ocean worlds but suggest that a one‐to‐one matching of environmental characteristics and conditions is not crucial to the success or impact of the work. Instead, we must determine which processes and parameters are required to map directly to the target ocean world environment with high fidelity to address the science question. In this review paper, we discuss the outcomes of a workshop aimed at developing a new framework for evaluating the suitability of analogue field locations for ocean worlds research. Here we present a two‐step approach to (a) identify the most crucial processes and parameters associated with a given science question and (b) assess the fidelity of these processes and parameters at a proposed field site to those expected for the target ocean world. We demonstrate this approach in a test case evaluating three types of ocean world analogue environments with respect to a science question. The consensus document presented here equips veteran and new investigators with valuable tools to better assess and justify their analogue site selections.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Activator-doped Hg 2 Br 2 as next generation high performance scintillator for high energy physics research and other scientific and imaging applications

Existing COTS inorganic scintillators all have the characteristic of being very good at certain desirable properties, but not sufficient at other desirable properties for HEP. The demand for suitable scintillators (with regards to both scintillation detector properties and suitable pricing), to be used for modern intensities frontier (Mu2e-II), energy frontier (High luminosity large hadron collider) and future e+e- collider projects (aimed as Higgs bosons factory, such as the International Linear Collider (ILC) and the Future Circular Collider (FCC) are putting even higher challenges on crystal scintillators.In this work, we report the development of a novel high-performance scintillators that can address the issues associated with existing scintillators, the activator doped Hg2Br2. Initial results are very encouraging on the detection of gamma and alpha particles using a solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM). The responses have been stable and repeatable. Hg2Br2 also has many advantages over existing COTS scintillators such as: high density, bright, fast, good energy resolution, no intrinsic radiation, radiation hard and cost-effectiveness. Here, we present here why Hg2Br2 is the next generation scintillator for high energy physics experiments as well as other scientific and imaging applications such as planetary science and medical imaging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Foreword Special issue on the Kilopower Project, Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) Test

This special issue of Nuclear Technology contains full-length, peer-reviewed papers describing the design work leading up to and the results of the Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) test. KRUSTY was the centerpiece of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kilopower Project to design, build, and test a space nuclear reactor. This test was the first such test since the end of the Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) project at the end of the 1960s. In this issue, the introduction paper presents the goals of the Kilopower Project and the potential missions this reactor concept could serve in NASA. Kilopower was intended to serve both human exploration needs on planetary surfaces as well as science needs for deep-space exploration. The design work for the experiment by Poston and the power conversion development by Gibson present the pre-work required to perform the eventual KRUSTY test. A paper on regulatory analysis follows, to show the path used to gain approval of the proposed experiment. Then, the early zero-power critical experiments are presented by Sanchez and Grove. These experiments were essential data used to enhance model predictions prior to the high-temperature test. Next, Poston presents the three experiments (warm criticals) that increase the temperature in an incremental fashion prior to the final experiment. These experiments were used to achieve final regulatory approval of the final high-temperature experiment. The last paper by Poston presents the results of the steady-state and transient testing of the reactor at full power and at the design temperature. These results show that the reactor design and as-built experiment met all of the requirements that NASA had developed for the system. Any experiment of this magnitude was accomplished only because of the hard work and dedication of a large number of people at multiple institutions, including the NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Y-12 National Security Site, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Nevada National Security Site prime contractor (formerly National Security Technologies and now the Mission Support and Test Services). The project was jointly funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA and the Criticality Safety Program at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A special thanks to Jerry McKamy and Angela Chambers at the NNSA and Lee Mason and Don Palac at NASA for their support and guidance. For the authors and multitude of staff that performed this work, the passion for space nuclear reactors was the key to making this experiment a reality.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data Science and Computation for Rapid and Dynamic Compression Experiment Workflows at Experimental Facilities, September 8-11, 2020. Workshop Report

The application of high pressure to materials has enabled discoveries in scientific fields such as planetary science, materials science, and materials synthesis. Recent advances in X-ray user light sources and other facilities, co-location and integration of user facilities with high-pressure drivers, availability of high-performance computing (HPC) platforms, and the development of new data science techniques have created opportunities for, and challenges in, advancing data analytics for rapid and dynamic compression experiments. To address these challenges, harness the emerging technology now available, and expedite scientific discovery, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosted a virtual workshop entitled “Data Science and Computation for Rapid and Dynamic Compression Workflows at Experimental Facilities” from September 8 to 11, 2020. The workshop included 95 registered scientists and analytics experts from 15 universities, 9 United States (US) national laboratories, 5 US and European X-ray light sources, neutron sources such as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), other big science facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and an industry representative. The workshop included 31 invited talks and 4 lightning talks by students and postdocs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Speckle Imaging Characterization of Radial Velocity Exoplanet Systems

We conducted speckle imaging observations of 53 stellar systems that were members of long-term radial velocity (RV) monitoring campaigns and exhibited substantial accelerations indicative of planetary or stellar companions in wide orbits. Our observations were made with blue and red filters using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at Gemini-South and the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager at the WIYN telescope. The speckle imaging identifies eight luminous companions within 2″ of the primary stars. In three of these systems—HD 1388, HD 87359, and HD 104304—the properties of the imaged companion are consistent with the RV measurements, suggesting that these companions may be associated with the primary and the cause of the RV variation. For all 53 stellar systems, we derive differential magnitude limits (i.e., contrast curves) from the imaging. We extend this analysis to include upper limits on companion mass in systems without imaging detections. In 25 systems, we rule out companions with masses greater than 0.2 M {sub ⊙}, suggesting that the observed RV signals are caused by late-M dwarfs or substellar (potentially planetary) objects. On the other hand, the joint RV and imaging analysis almost entirely rules out planetary explanations of the RV signal for HD 19522 and suggests that the companion must have an angular separation below a few tenths of an arcsecond. This work highlights the importance of combined RV and imaging observations for characterizing the outer regions of nearby planetary systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Multiparameter Constraints on Empirical Infrasound Period-Yield Relations for Bolides and Implications for Planetary Defense

How effective are methods for estimating bolide energies from infrasound signal period-yield relationships? A single global period–energy relation can obscure significant variability introduced by parameters such as the atmospheric Doppler wind profile and the bolide’s energy deposition profile as a function of altitude. Bolide speed, entry angle, burst altitude, and multiepisode fragmentation may all play a role in defining the detected period of the shockwave. By leveraging bolide light-curve data from the Center for Near Earth Object Studies, we re-examined the period–energy relation as a function of these parameters. Through a bootstrap approach, we show that various event subsets can deviate from widely cited period–energy models and we identify which specific conditions most strongly reshape the period–energy scaling. The results define both the fidelity and reliability of period–energy relations when no additional data beyond the infrasound record is available and improve the outcome when supporting data from bolide trajectories and light curves are included. Ultimately, these findings expand the scope of earlier models, providing a nuanced and robust framework for infrasound-only yield estimation under a range of bolide scenarios.

Planetary science↗
DOE OSTI2025

Studying Aerosol, Clouds, and Air Quality in the Coastal Urban Environment of Southeastern Texas

A multi-agency succession of field campaigns was conducted in southeastern Texas during July 2021 through October 2022 to study the complex interactions of aerosols, clouds and air pollution in the coastal urban environment. As part of the Tracking Aerosol Convection interactions Experiment (TRACER), the TRACER- Air Quality (TAQ) campaign the Experiment of Sea Breeze Convection, Aerosols, Precipitation and Environment (ESCAPE) and the Convective Cloud Urban Boundary Layer Experiment (CUBE), a combination of ground-based supersites and mobile laboratories, shipborne measurements and aircraft-based instrumentation were deployed. These diverse platforms collected high-resolution data to characterize the aerosol microphysics and chemistry, cloud and precipitation micro- and macro-physical properties, environmental thermodynamics and air quality-relevant constituents that are being used in follow-on analysis and modeling activities. We present the overall deployment setups, a summary of the campaign conditions and a sampling of early research results related to: (a) aerosol precursors in the urban environment, (b) influences of local meteorology on air pollution, (c) detailed observations of the sea breeze circulation, (d) retrieved supersaturation in convective updrafts, (e) characterizing the convective updraft lifecycle, (f) variability in lightning characteristics of convective storms and (g) urban influences on surface energy fluxes. The work concludes with discussion of future research activities highlighted by the TRACER model-intercomparison project to explore the representation of aerosol-convective interactions in high-resolution simulations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Coupled Lake‐Atmosphere‐Land Physics Uncertainties in a Great Lakes Regional Climate Model

Abstract This study develops a surrogate‐based method to assess the uncertainty within a convective permitting integrated modeling system of the Great Lakes region, arising from interacting physics parameterizations across the lake, atmosphere, and land surface. Perturbed physics ensembles of the model during the 2018 summer are used to train a neural network surrogate model to predict lake surface temperature (LST) and near‐surface air temperature (T2m). Average physics uncertainties are determined to be 1.5C for LST and T2m over land, and 1.9C for T2m over lake, but these have significant spatiotemporal variations. We find that atmospheric physics parameterizations alone are the dominant sources of uncertainty (45%–53%), while lake and land parameterizations account for 33% and 38% of the uncertainty of LST and T2m over land respectively. Interactions of atmosphere physics parameterizations with those of the land and lake contribute to an additional 13%–17% of the total variance. LST and T2m over the lake are more uncertain in the deeper northern lakes, particularly during the rapid warming phase that occurs in late spring/early summer. The LST uncertainty increases with sensitivity to the lake model's surface wind stress scheme. T2m over land is more uncertain over forested areas in the north, where it is most sensitive to the land surface model, than the more agricultural land in the south, where it is most sensitive to the atmospheric planetary boundary and surface layer scheme. Uncertainty also increases in the southwest during multiday temperature declines with higher sensitivity to the land surface model.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Metagenomic Methods for Addressing NASA's Planetary Protection Policy Requirements on Future Missions: A Workshop Report

Molecular biology methods and technologies have advanced substantially over the past decade. These new molecular methods should be incorporated among the standard tools of planetary protection (PP) and could be validated for incorporation by 2026. To address the feasibility of applying modern molecular techniques to such an application, NASA conducted a technology workshop with private industry partners, academics, and government agency stakeholders, along with NASA staff and contractors. The technical discussions and presentations of the Multi-Mission Metagenomics Technology Development Workshop focused on modernizing and supplementing the current PP assays. The goals of the workshop were to assess the state of metagenomics and other advanced molecular techniques in the context of providing a validated framework to supplement the bacterial endospore-based NASA Standard Assay and to identify knowledge and technology gaps. In particular, workshop participants were tasked with discussing metagenomics as a stand-alone technology to provide rapid and comprehensive analysis of total nucleic acids and viable microorganisms on spacecraft surfaces, thereby allowing for the development of tailored and cost-effective microbial reduction plans for each hardware item on a spacecraft. Workshop participants recommended metagenomics approaches as the only data source that can adequately feed into quantitative microbial risk assessment models for evaluating the risk of forward (exploring extraterrestrial planet) and back (Earth harmful biological) contamination. Participants were unanimous that a metagenomics workflow, in tandem with rapid targeted quantitative (digital) PCR, represents a revolutionary advance over existing methods for the assessment of microbial bioburden on spacecraft surfaces. The workshop highlighted low biomass sampling, reagent contamination, and inconsistent bioinformatics data analysis as key areas for technology development. Finally, it was concluded that implementing metagenomics as an additional workflow for addressing concerns of NASA's robotic mission will represent a dramatic improvement in technology advancement for PP and will benefit future missions where mission success is affected by backward and forward contamination.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗