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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Research Lasers and Air Traffic Safety: Issues, Concerns and Responsibilities of the Research Community

The subject of outdoor use of lasers relative to air traffic has become a diverse and dynamic topic. During the past several decades, the use of lasers in outdoor research activities have increased significantly. Increases in the outdoor use of lasers and increases in air traffic densities have changed the levels of risk involved. To date there have been no documented incidents of air traffic interference from research lasers; however, incidents involving display lasers have shown a marked increase. As a result of the national response to these incidents, new concerns over lasers have arisen. Through the efforts of the SAE G-10T Laser Safety Hazards Subcommittee and the ANSI Z136.6 development committee, potential detrimental effects to air traffic beyond the traditional eye damage concerns have been identified. An increased emphasis from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Center for Devices and Radiological Hazards (CDRH), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) along with increased concern by the public have resulted in focused scrutiny of potential hazards presented by lasers. The research community needs to rethink the traditional methods of risk evaluation and application of protective measures. The best current approach to assure adequate protection of air traffic is the application of viable hazard and risk analysis and the use of validated protective measures. Standards making efforts and regulatory development must be supported by the research community to assure that reasonable measures are developed. Without input, standards and regulations can be developed that are not compatible with the needs of the research community. Finally, support is needed for the continued development and validation of protective measures.

Nessler, Phillip J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2015

3D Lasers Increase Efficiency, Safety of Moving Machines

Canadian company Neptec Design Group Ltd. developed its Laser Camera System, used by shuttles to render 3D maps of their hulls for assessing potential damage. Using NASA funding, the firm incorporated LiDAR technology and created the TriDAR 3D sensor. Its commercial arm, Neptec Technologies Corp., has sold the technology to Orbital Sciences, which uses it to guide its Cygnus spacecraft during rendezvous and dock operations at the International Space Station.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Safety management of complex research operators

Complex research and technology operations present varied potential hazards which are addressed in a disciplined, independent safety review and approval process. Potential hazards vary from high energy fuels to hydrocarbon fuels, high pressure systems to high voltage systems, toxic chemicals to radioactive materials and high speed rotating machinery to high powered lasers. A Safety Permit System presently covers about 600 potentially hazardous operations. The Safety Management Program described is believed to be a major factor in maintaining an excellent safety record.

Brown, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Compact Multi-Channel Infrared Laser Absorption Spectrometer for Spacecraft Fire Safety Monitoring

We report on the design of a six-channel tunable laser absorption spectroscopy instrument for measuring ambient gas-phase concentrations of CO, HCl, HCN, HF, CO2, and O2 in spacecraft environments. Monitoring of these compounds can provide early warning detection of fire events while also indicating what materials have been exposed to heating. Continued post-fire monitoring of these hazardous gases can also facilitate safe and effective cleanup. The sensor is a miniaturized version of a five-channel prototype that was previously validated in ground-based oxidative pyrolysis tests. Here, we describe absorption line selection and theoretical detection limits for a sensor with reduced absorption pathlengths for each detection channel, which allows for a substantial reduction in overall instrument footprint. Ultimately, the new instrument is designed to be used in fire safety tests conducted by NASA, where various materials will undergo oxidative pyrolysis in an unmanned spacecraft returning from low Earth orbit.

Briggs, Ryan M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Laser-based firing systems for prompt initiation of secondary explosives

Motivated by issues of weapon safety and security, laser based firing systems for promptly initiating secondary explosives have been under active development at Sandia National Laboratories for more than four years. Such a firing system consists of miniaturized, Q-switched, solid-state laser, optical detonators, optical safety switches, and elements for splitting, coupling, and transmitting the laser output. Potential system applications pose significant challenges in terms of server mechanical and thermal environments and packaging constraints, while requiring clear demonstration of safety enhancements. The Direct Optical Initiation (DOI) Program at Sandia is addressing these challenges through progress development phases during which the design, fabrication, and testing of prototype hardware is aimed at more difficult application requirements. A brief history of the development program, and a summary of current and planned activities, will be presented.

Meeks, Kent D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Safety management of complex research operations

Complex research and technology operations present many varied potential hazards which must be addressed in a disciplined independent safety review and approval process. The research and technology effort at the Lewis Research Center is divided into programmatic areas of aeronautics, space and energy. Potential hazards vary from high energy fuels to hydrocarbon fuels, high pressure systems to high voltage systems, toxic chemicals to radioactive materials and high speed rotating machinery to high powered lasers. A Safety Permit System presently covers about 600 potentially hazardous operations. The Safety Management Program described in this paper is believed to be a major factor in maintaining an excellent safety record at the Lewis Research Center.

Brown, W. J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Science & Technology Review (January/February 2023)

The vortex on this issue’s cover represents the sense of uncertainty experienced by scientists in the initial stages of exploring a new research path. The article beginning on p. 4 introduces research projects of higher technical risk conducted under Lawrence Livermore’s Disruptive Research (DR) Program, a component of the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program. If successful, DR projects yield order-of-magnitude rewards. If DR projects fail to meet stated goals, they offer different rewards by shaping future research and investment

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

LDRD Quarterly Highlights (FY24 Q4)

This newsletter, published quarterly, features LDRD and SDRD work done by Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Nevada National Security Site and Sandia. To see a PDF with all articles referenced in this newsletter or review past issues, visit NNSA-LDRD.lanl.gov and click on the Quarterly Highlights tab.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1993

Micro pulse lidar

An eye safe, compact, solid state lidar for profiling atmospheric cloud and aerosol scattering has been demonstrated. The transmitter of the micropulse lidar is a diode pumped micro-J pulse energy, high repetition rate Nd:YLF laser. Eye safety is obtained through beam expansion. The receiver employs a photon counting solid state Geiger mode avalanche photodiode detector. Data acquisition is by a single card multichannel scaler. Daytime background induced quantum noise is controlled by a narrow receiver field-of-view and a narrow bandwidth temperature controlled interference filter. Dynamic range of the signal is limited by optical geometric signal compression. Signal simulations and initial atmospheric measurements indicate that systems built on the micropulse lidar concept are capable of detecting and profiling all significant cloud and aerosol scattering through the troposphere and into the stratosphere. The intended applications are scientific studies and environmental monitoring which require full time, unattended measurements of the cloud and aerosol height structure.

Spinhirne, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Micro pulse laser radar

An eye safe, compact, solid state lidar for profiling atmospheric cloud and aerosol scattering is disclosed. The transmitter of the micro pulse lidar is a diode pumped micro-J pulse energy, high repetition rate Nd:YLF laser. Eye safety is obtained through beam expansion. The receiver employs a photon counting solid state Geiger mode avalanche photodiode detector. Data acquisition is by a single card multichannel scaler. Daytime background induced quantum noise is controlled by a narrow receiver field-of-view and a narrow bandwidth temperature controlled interference filter. Dynamic range of the signal is limited to optical geometric signal compression. Signal simulations and initial atmospheric measurements indicate that micropulse lider systems are capable of detecting and profiling all significant cloud and aerosol scattering through the troposphere and into the stratosphere. The intended applications are scientific studies and environmental monitoring which require full time, unattended measurements of the cloud and aerosol height structure.

Spinhirne, James D.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Learning for Autonomous Navigation

Robotic ground vehicles for outdoor applications have achieved some remarkable successes, notably in autonomous highway following (Dickmanns, 1987), planetary exploration (1), and off-road navigation on Earth (1). Nevertheless, major challenges remain to enable reliable, high-speed, autonomous navigation in a wide variety of complex, off-road terrain. 3-D perception of terrain geometry with imaging range sensors is the mainstay of off-road driving systems. However, the stopping distance at high speed exceeds the effective lookahead distance of existing range sensors. Prospects for extending the range of 3-D sensors is strongly limited by sensor physics, eye safety of lasers, and related issues. Range sensor limitations also allow vehicles to enter large cul-de-sacs even at low speed, leading to long detours. Moreover, sensing only terrain geometry fails to reveal mechanical properties of terrain that are critical to assessing its traversability, such as potential for slippage, sinkage, and the degree of compliance of potential obstacles. Rovers in the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission have got stuck in sand dunes and experienced significant downhill slippage in the vicinity of large rock hazards. Earth-based off-road robots today have very limited ability to discriminate traversable vegetation from non-traversable vegetation or rough ground. It is impossible today to preprogram a system with knowledge of these properties for all types of terrain and weather conditions that might be encountered.

mixture of Gaussians↗
NASA NTRS2012

Development of the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory: A Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Ground Station

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) project will demonstrate high bandwidth space to ground bi-directional optical communications links between a geosynchronous satellite and two LCRD optical ground stations located in the southwestern United States. The project plans to operate for two years with a possible extension to five. Objectives of the demonstration include the development of operational strategies to prototype optical link and relay services for the next generation tracking and data relay satellites. Key technologies to be demonstrated include adaptive optics to correct for clear air turbulence-induced wave front aberrations on the downlink, and advanced networking concepts for assured and automated data delivery. Expanded link availability will be demonstrated by supporting operations at small sun-Earth-probe angles. Planned optical modulation formats support future concepts of near-Earth satellite user services to a maximum of 1.244 Gb/s differential phase shift keying modulation and pulse position modulations formats for deep space links at data rates up to 311 Mb/s. Atmospheric monitoring instruments that will characterize the optical channel during the link include a sun photometer to measure atmospheric transmittance, a solar scintillometer, and a cloud camera to measure the line of sight cloud cover. This paper describes the planned development of the JPL optical ground station.

optical commuication↗
DOE OSTI2025

Novel technology of non-contact real-time radiation damage sensors for high power targets.

This report summarizes the contributions of an intern participating in the Community College Internship (CCI) program at Fermilab, focusing on the development of a novel, non-contact, real-time radiation damage sensor technology. The core objective is to create a reliable sensor capable of measuring radiation-induced degradation on high-power targets without physical contact. The experiment involves using a Class 3B supercontinuum laser directed toward a single material sample placed within a vacuum test chamber. The laser beam reflects off the sample's surface, with changes in reflectivity, indicative of radiation damage, measured by a spectrometer positioned at the chamber’s output port. The intern’s primary responsibilities included designing an interlock system to ensure laser operational safety, developing a camera-based monitoring system using Raspberry Pi devices, and creating structural supports using 3D modeling and printing techniques. Components for the interlock and camera systems were successfully designed and ordered, with preliminary 3D models printed and refined through iterative testing. Challenges encountered in the 3D printing process, such as fragile initial prototypes and difficult support removal, were overcome by adjusting printer settings and incorporating design enhancements like chamfered edges. Future activities, pending component delivery, involve installing and configuring the interlock and camera systems, as well as further improving the structural supports. Overall, the internship significantly enhanced the intern’s technical proficiency in hardware design, software integration, and advanced 3D printing, contributing directly to Fermilab’s operational safety standards and experimental effectiveness in high-energy physics research.

Pumarino Meza, Rafael [Unlisted; Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS1991

A contribution to laser range imaging technology

The goal of the project was to develop a methodology for fusion of a Laser Range Imaging Device (LRID) and camera data. Our initial work in the project led to the conclusion that none of the LRID's that were available were sufficiently adequate for this purpose. Thus we spent the time and effort on the development of the new LRID with several novel features which elicit the desired fusion objectives. In what follows, we describe the device developed and built under contract. The Laser Range Imaging Device (LRID) is an instrument which scans a scene using a laser and returns range and reflection intensity data. Such a system would be extremely useful in scene analysis in industry and space applications. The LRID will be eventually implemented on board a mobile robot. The current system has several advantages over some commercially available systems. One improvement is the use of X-Y galvonometer scanning mirrors instead of polygonal mirrors present in some systems. The advantage of the X-Y scanning mirrors is that the mirror system can be programmed to provide adjustable scanning regions. For each mirror there are two controls accessible by the computer. The first is the mirror position and the second is a zoom factor which modifies the amplitude of the position of the parameter. Another advantage of the LRID is the use of a visible low power laser. Some of the commercial systems use a higher intensity invisible laser which causes safety concerns. By using a low power visible laser, not only can one see the beam and avoid direct eye contact, but also the lower intensity reduces the risk of damage to the eye, and no protective eyeware is required.

Defigueiredo, Rui J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Circuit Stops Prelasing In A Q-Switched Laser

Protective shutdown circuit stops prelasing in Q-switched laser operating at pulse-repetition rate of about 10 Hz. During normal operation, Q-switch prevents emission of light from laser cavity during application of Q-switch-trigger pulse. When circuit detects prelasing, it triggers relay turning off laser power supply. Circuit integrated into almost any Q-switched-laser system, provided one gains access to laser light, Q-switch-trigger pulse, and safety-interlock line of laser power supply.

Lockard, George E.↗