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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
NASA NTRS1989

Futurepath: The Story of Research and Technology at NASA Lewis Research Center

The story of research and technology at NASA Lewis Research Center's Structures Division is presented. The job and designs of the Structures Division needed for flight propulsion is described including structural mechanics, structural dynamics, fatigue, and fracture. The video briefly explains why properties of metals used in structural mechanics need to be tested. Examples of tests and simulations used in structural dynamics (bodies in motion) are briefly described. Destructive and non-destructive fatigue/fracture analysis is also described. The arc sprayed monotape (a composite material) is explained, as are the programs in which monotape plays a roll. Finally, the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP or x-30) is introduced, including the material development and metal matrix as well as how NASP will reduce costs for NASA.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1995

Integrated passive/active vibration absorber for multi-story buildings

Passive isolator, active vibration absorber, and an integrated passive/active (hybrid) control are studied for their effectiveness in reducing structural vibration under seismic excitations. For the passive isolator, a laminated rubber bearing base isolator which has been studied and used extensively by researchers and seismic designers is considered. An active vibration absorber concept, which can provide guaranteed closed-loop stability with minimum knowledge of the controlled system, is used to reduce the passive isolator displacement and to suppress the top floor vibration. A three-story building model is used for the numerical simulation. The performance of an active vibration absorber and a hybrid vibration controller in reducing peak structural responses is compared with the passively isolated structural response and with absence of vibration control systems under the N00W component of El Centro 1940 and N90W component of the Mexico City earthquake excitation records. The results show that the integrated passive/active vibration control system is most effective in suppressing the peak structural acceleration for the El Centro 1940 earthquake when compared with the passive or active vibration absorber alone. The active vibration absorber, however, is the only system that suppresses the peak acceleration of the structure for the Mexico City 1985 earthquake.

Lee-Glauser, Gina J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Technology Transfer External Metrics, Research, Success Stories, and Participation on Evaluation Team for the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)

This research report is divided into four sections. The first section is related to participation on the team that evaluated the proposals for the X-33 project and the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) during mid-May; prior to beginning the 1996 Summer Faculty Fellowship. The second section discusses the various meetings attended related to the technology evaluation process. The third section is related to various research and evaluation activities engaged in by this researcher. The final section discusses several success stories this researcher aided in preparing. Despite the fact that this researcher is not an engineer or science faculty, invaluable knowledge and experience have been gained at MSFC. Although related to the previous summer's research, the research has been new, varied, and challenging. This researcher was fortunate to have had maximum interaction with NASA colleague, David Cockrell. It would be a privilege and honor to continue a relationship with the Technology Transfer Office. In addition, we will attempt to aid in the establishment of a continuous formalized relationship between MSFC and Jacksonville State University. Dr. David Watts, Vice President for Academic Affairs, J.S.U., is interested in having the Technology Division cooperating with MSFC in sharing information and working tech transfer inquiries. The principal benefits gained by this researcher include the opportunity to conduct research in a non-academic, real world environment. In addition, the opportunity to be involved in aiding with the decision process for the choice of the next generation of space transportation system was a once in a lifetime experience. This researcher has gained enhanced respect and understanding of MSFC/NASA staff and facilities.

Trivoli, George W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Chondrules: The Never-Ending Story

The session "Chondrules: The Never-Ending Story" included the following reports:Dust Size Distribution in Solar Nebula Inferred from Shock-Wave Heating Model for Chondrule Formation; Collisional Destruction of Chondrules in Shock Waves and Inferred Dust to Gas Mass Ratio; Evaporation and Accompanying Isotopic Fractionation of Sulfur from Fe-S Melt During Shock Wave Heating ; Evaporation During Chondrule Formation, Recondensation as Fine Particles, and the Condensation of S and Other Volatile Elements; Fe Isotopes and the Formation of Chondrules; Pristine and Processed Metal in CR Chondrites: Condensation in the Solar Nebula and Partial Reequilibration During Chondrule Formation; Variation of the Condensation Path of Supercooled Silicate Melt; Volatile and Moderately Volatile Trace Element Composition of Chondrules and Matrix from CM Chondrites: Implications for Chondrule Formation; Opaque Mineral Assemblages at Chondrule Boundaries in the Vigarano CV Chondrite: Evidence for Gas-Solid Reactions Following Chondrule Formation; Forsterite and Olivine in Sahara-97210 (LL3.2) and Chainpur (LL3.4) Chondrules: Compositional Evolution and the Influence of Melting; The Vaguries of Pyroxene Nucleation and the Resulting Chondrule Textures; Contemporaneous Formation of Chondrules in the Al-26-Mg-26 System for Ordinary and CO Chondrites; and Al-Mg Isotopic Systematics in Ferromagnesian Chondrules from the Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrite.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Power of Story: Dressing Up the Naked Truth

ASK Magazine is not alone when it comes to using storytelling to capture lessons learned and share knowledge. Several other practitioners have successfully introduced this approach to knowledge management within organizations. This article by Annette Simmons marks the first in a series ty authors whose work on storytelling has been widely recognized. We hope these features illuminate why ASK contributors use the story form to share their knowledge, and how you can do the same. Annette Simmons spoke at the February 2002 APPL Masters Forum.

Simmons, Annette↗
NASA NTRS1995

Emergence of relations and the essence of learning: a review of Sidman's Equivalence relations and behavior: a research story. Book review

The author reviews and comments on the book Equivalence relations and behavior: a research story by Murray Sidman. Sidman's book reports his research about equivalence relations and competencies in children with mental retardation and how it relates to behavior. Sidman used the idea of stimulus-stimulus relations among features of the environment to develop his theories about equivalence relations. Experimental work with children and animals demonstrated their ability to use equivalence relations to learn new tasks. The subject received feedback and reinforcement for specific choices made during training, then was presented with new choices during testing. Results of the tests indicate that subjects were able to establish relations and retrieve them in different situations.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS1997

Fungal colonization of air filters and insulation in a multi-story office building: production of volatile organics

Secondary air filters in the air-handling units on four floors of a multi-story office building with a history of fungal colonization of insulation within the air distribution system were examined for the presence of growing fungi and production of volatile organic compounds. Fungal mycelium and conidia of Cladosporium and Penicillium spp. were observed on insulation from all floors and both sides of the air filters from one floor. Lower concentrations of volatile organics were released from air filter medium colonized with fungi as compared with noncolonized filter medium. However, the volatiles from the colonized filter medium included fungal metabolites such as acetone and a carbonyl sulfide-like compound that were not released from noncolonized filter medium. The growth of fungi in air distribution systems may affect the content of volatile organics in indoor air.

NASA Discipline Environmental Health↗
NASA NTRS1996

Fungal colonization of fiberglass insulation in the air distribution system of a multi-story office building: VOC production and possible relationship to a sick building syndrome

Complaints characteristic of those for sick building syndrome prompted mycological investigations of a modern multi-story office building on the Gulf coast in the Southeastern United States (Houston-Galveston area). The air handling units and fiberglass duct liner of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system of the building, without a history of catastrophic or chronic water damage, demonstrated extensive colonization with Penicillium spp and Cladosporium herbarum. Although dense fungal growth was observed on surfaces within the heating-cooling system, most air samples yielded fewer than 200 CFU m-3. Several volatile compounds found in the building air were released also from colonized fiberglass. Removal of colonized insulation from the floor receiving the majority of complaints of mouldy air and continuous operation of the units supplying this floor resulted in a reduction in the number of complaints.

NASA Program Environmental Health↗
NASA NTRS2007

CFD to Flight: Some Recent Success Stories of X-plane Design to Flight Test at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

Several examples from the past decade of success stories involving the design and ight test of three true X-planes will be described: in particular, X-plane design techniques that relied heavily upon computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Three specific examples chosen from the authors personal experience are presented: the X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft, the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, and, most recently, the X-48B Blended Wing Body Demonstrator Aircraft. An overview will be presented of the uses of CFD analysis, comparisons and contrasts with wind tunnel testing, and information derived from the CFD analysis that directly related to successful flight test. Some lessons learned on the proper application, and misapplication, of CFD are illustrated. Finally, some highlights of the flight-test results of the three example X-planes will be presented. This overview paper will discuss some of the authors experience with taking an aircraft shape from early concept and three-dimensional modeling through CFD analysis, wind tunnel testing, further re ned CFD analysis, and, finally, flight. An overview of the key roles in which CFD plays well during this process, and some other roles in which it does not, are discussed. How wind tunnel testing complements, calibrates, and verifies CFD analysis is also covered. Lessons learned on where CFD results can be misleading are also given. Strengths and weaknesses of the various types of ow solvers, including panel methods, Euler, and Navier-Stokes techniques, are discussed. The paper concludes with the three specific examples, including some flight test video footage of the X-36, the X-45A, and the X-48B.

Cosentino, Gary B.↗
NASA NTRS2007

CFD to Flight: Some Recent Success Stories of X-Plane Design to Flight Test at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

Several examples from the past decade of success stories involving the design and flight test of three true X-planes will be described: in particular, X-plane design techniques that relied heavily upon computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Three specific examples chosen from the author s personal experience are presented: the X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft, the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, and, most recently, the X-48B Blended Wing Body Demonstrator Aircraft. An overview will be presented of the uses of CFD analysis, comparisons and contrasts with wind tunnel testing, and information derived from the CFD analysis that directly related to successful flight test. Some lessons learned on the proper application, and misapplication, of CFD are illustrated. Finally, some highlights of the flight-test results of the three example X-planes will be presented. This overview paper will discuss some of the author s experience with taking an aircraft shape from early concept and three-dimensional modeling through CFD analysis, wind tunnel testing, further refined CFD analysis, and, finally, flight. An overview of the key roles in which CFD plays well during this process, and some other roles in which it does not, are discussed. How wind tunnel testing complements, calibrates, and verifies CFD analysis is also covered. Lessons learned on where CFD results can be misleading are also given. Strengths and weaknesses of the various types of flow solvers, including panel methods, Euler, and Navier-Stokes techniques, are discussed. The paper concludes with the three specific examples, including some flight test video footage of the X-36, the X-45A, and the X-48B.

Cosentino, Gary B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Read You Loud and Clear! The Story of NASA's Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network

A historical account is provided of NASA's Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network (STDN), starting with its formation in the late 1950s to what it is today in the first decade of the 21st century. It traces the roots of the tracking network from its beginnings at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System space-based constellation of today. The story spans the early days of satellite tracking using the Minitrack Network, through the expansion of the Satellite Tracking and Data Acquisition Network and the Manned Space Flight Network, and finally, to the Space and Ground networks of today. These accounts tell how international goodwill and foreign cooperation were crucial to the operation of the network and why the space agency chose to build the STDN as it did.

Tsiao, Sunny↗
NASA NTRS2010

Unleashing Lessons: Sharing Stories About the Fine Art of Systems Engineering

NASA leaders have a responsibility to share their unique oral histories with junior-level employees on whom NASA's future depends. This presentation will give a few examples of how the imaginative, flexible art of systems engineering is as necessary to mission success as is the rigorous, disciplined side of engineering. Engineering space systems involves many disciplines propulsion, loads, dynamics, and so forth that are based on the foundations of scientific principles and methodology and the application of the laws of physics. The term rocket scientist is an apt term, considering that the underlying chemical properties of propellants and the subatomic properties of materials must be understood to harness the powerful energy necessary to escape Earth's gravity in machines that can withstand the stresses and forces to which they are subjected, not to mention the harsh space environments in which they must work. This is a simplistic, yet illustrative, explanation of the scientific side of the engineer s challenge. Bringing together these individual parts into a solid system goes beyond the science of engineering to employ the art of systems engineering. Systems engineers are known for their ability to integrate various solutions to meet or exceed challenging requirements. As the old adage goes, measure twice and cut once. The act of measuring is balancing rigid, inflexible requirements with creative compromises to attain the optimum solution to the challenge of space flight. Then, we cut out those answers that are too risky, expensive, dangerous, and so forth. The process of sharing stories about the little-discussed art of engineering, also known as the art of compromise, will equip the workforce to subjectively judge the best right answer from among the many presented, while objectively integrating the various piece parts into a unified whole.

Singer, Christopher E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Developing Nontraditional Partnerships to Disseminate the Space Science Story

NASA Space Science Days (NSSD) was established in 2004 to bring the story of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) to a community far removed from areas NASA traditionally serves. The original NSSD invited 400 5th and 8th graders from the Texas Rio Grande Valley area to the University of Texas Brownsville campus to participate in a one day Saturday event filled with information about MER with related hands on activities. Currently the program has grown to over 700 5th and 8th grade participants who are mentored by trained university students from several Texas universities and community colleges and growing to include universities from throughout the U.S. A collaboration between three major institutions: The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate (ARES), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers/Advancing Hispanic Excellence in Technology Engineering, Math, and Science, (SHPE/AHETEMS), and the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) has been established to enable the dissemination of Solar System related educational materials throughout the U.S. Already in its 8th year, UTB has developed and tested a NSSD model that has successfully disseminated space science materials to students throughout South Texas Rio Grande Valley. With this newly formed collaboration this model s expansion will allow trained SHPE students and professionals to conduct events throughout its established nation-wide delivery systems. Each year a new NSSD site will be established through an application process solicited from SHPE student and professional chapters. Once a chapter is awarded, upper-level high school and university students will travel to NASA- JSC for a two day workshop where students learn about the current year s theme and are trained to present hands-on activities related to the theme. Additional training by ARES and UTB occurs one month before the new event in their own communities. Both local middle school teachers and mentors are trained locally. This allows the teachers time to prepare their students with the background material for NSSD and give the mentors time to decide which activity they feel comfortable with to lead. Several events using this process have already been successful and an increase in interest from SHPE chapters wanting to establish their NSSD event is growing.

Galindo, Charles↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Story Behind the Numbers: Lessons Learned from the Integration of Monitoring Resources in Addressing an ISS Water Quality Anomaly

Beginning in June of 2010 an environmental mystery was unfolding on the International Space Station (ISS). The U.S. Water Processor Assembly (WPA) began to produce water with increasing levels of total organic carbon (TOC). A surprisingly consistent upward TOC trend was observed through weekly in-flight total organic carbon analyzer (TOCA) monitoring. As TOC is a general organics indicator, return of water archive samples was needed to make better-informed crew health decisions and to aid in WPA troubleshooting. TOCA-measured TOC was more than halfway to its health-based screening limit before archive samples could be returned on Soyuz 22 and analyzed. Although TOC was confirmed to be elevated, somewhat surprisingly, none of the typical target compounds were the source. After some solid detective work, it was confirmed that the TOC was associated with a compound known as dimethylsilanediol (DMSD). DMSD is believed to be a breakdown product of silicon-containing compounds present on ISS. A toxicological limit was set for DMSD and a forward plan developed for operations given this new understanding of the source of the TOC. This required extensive coordination with ISS stakeholders and innovative use of available in-flight and archive monitoring resources. Behind the numbers and scientific detail surrounding this anomaly, there exists a compelling story of multi-disciplinary awareness, teamwork, and important environmental lessons learned.

McCoy, Torin↗
NASA NTRS2012

True Story of the Moon Rock Heist

In 2002, three NASA Co-op students along with a colleague from the University of Utah stole lunar samples from the Johnson Space Center. Three members of the "gang" removed a 600 pound safe containing lunar, meteorite and Martian samples from Dr. Gibson s laboratory. The thieves offered the samples for sale using the internet. They were arrested by undercover FBI and OIG agents. Three guilty pleas along with a conviction yielded sentences as long as 90 months in federal prison. Two of the thieves went to federal prison and have now been released. One of the thieves told his story to the popular author Ben Mezrich who released the book "Sex on the Moon" in July. Hollywood has "picked-up" the rights to their caper. The stolen lunar samples were not "trash". The loss of 30 years of Dr. Gibson s research records occurred along with contaminating and breaking the chain-of-custody for the lunar samples. The ring-leader has displayed no remorse for his crimes and is currently on the motivational speaker s lecture circuit. Investigators commented "they were the gang, who may have had the highest IQ but the least common sense in history." Previous unreleased information about the crime will be discussed by Dr. Gibson along with information about the forthcoming National Geographic Society s television special on the crime.

Gibson, Everett↗
NASA NTRS2019

Integration and Test (I&T) Horror Stories and the Lessons Learned

I've been asked to be a presenter along with a panel of fellow NASA Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) engineers at this year's IEEE EMC & Signal and Power Integrity (SIPI) 2019 symposium. The topic I am asked to cover is in regards to I&T horror stories because of my 15 years of personal experience as an EMC test engineer with Code 549. I am planning on only having slides with photos of test methods we no longer use as well as cover some mishaps that have happened over the years both within my organization and throughout the space industry. Highlighting the mistakes that were made, the lessons learned from those incidents and how they've effected how we test today.

EMI↗
NASA NTRS2019

Mapping the User Journey: Building a User Persona and Story Repository to Improve NASA EOSDIS Application Development

Understanding the needs of the end user is vital to producing quality, usable software that solves real problems. Additionally, making sure those needs are communicated to managers, engineers, and designers at the project level is vital. On complex projects, it's important to build out resources for your team that make it easy to put yourself in the shoes of the specific user you're building for. NASA's Earth Observing System is a collection of data, applications, and a diverse user and scientific community that's trying to answer tough questions about our planet and its climate. Over the last few years, we've spoken to hundreds of users, performed many user testing sessions, and built a collection of user personas, user stories, and design assets that help guide new software and feature development within NASA EOSDIS. We've also developed methods for synthesizing this information and making it actionable for teams, and worked to foster a design first approach on new projects always starting from a core user need and working backward from interface development to software engineering. This process has allowed us to design better, more usable software and features that directly meet the needs of our user community.

Siarto, Jeff↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Polarization Difference - The Scientific Story Behind One Variable and Its Practical Applications

Cloud ice and snow microphysical characteristics play an important role in determining cloud radiative effect. They are also closely connected to the details of surface precipitation characteristics. Ice orientation is one microphysical property that is traditionally believed to have trivial impact on the weather systems/climate, and it is hard to measure from space. In this presentation, I will show how many scientific stories can be told from one variable – the brightness temperature difference between vertically-polarized and horizontally-polarized 166 GHz measurements from the Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GPM-GMI). Through scrutinizing collocated CloudSat, GMI and GPM radar observations together with the aid of radiative transfer model simulations, we can not only tell apart the particle size, shape and orientation, but also understand the precipitation regime as well as the life stage of a a precipitation system. In the second half of my talk, I will showcase how this variable can be used for predicting precipitation flags and separating mixed-phase cloud from liquid and ice with the powerful machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) technique.

cloud ice and snow microphysical characteristics↗