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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Effect of microgravity and mechanical stimulation on the in vitro mineralization and resorption of fetal mouse long bones (7-IML-1)

Mechanical forces play an important role in the differentiation, growth, and remodeling of skeletal tissues. An increase in the normal loading pattern of the skeleton leads to an increase in bone mass. An overall decrease in the functional load exerted on the skeleton produces mineral loss and osteoporosis. However, the responses of the skeletal tissue cells to various loading conditions are still largely unresolved, as is the mechanism of the cellular response to changed mechanical environment. Using an in vitro approach, we hope to avoid some problems encountered in the use of in vivo animal and man models, which have been extensively used in the past. In a number of experiments we have demonstrated that 16 and 17 day old fetal mouse long bone rudiments (metatarsalia), cultured in a liquid culture medium, are very suitable to study mineralization and resorption, respectively. We have also demonstrated that under hydrostatic compression, mineralization is increased while resorption is decreased. Culture of long bone rudiments under noncompressed control conditions can be regarded as a situation of partial unloading, showing some phenomena of a disuse situation. Under microgravity conditions, responses of osteoblasts and chondrocytes (involved in mineralization) and osteoclasts (involved in mineral resorption), to culture with and without compression, may be much more outspoken. This will have advantages for the study and the interpretation of the role of cellular events in the process of mineralization and resorption of developing skeletal tissues under various loading conditions. The BONES Experiment is carried out in four type I/O and four type I/E containers. Various aspects of the investigation are discussed.

Veldhuijzen, J. Paul↗
NASA NTRS2012

Orion MPCV Service Module Avionics Ring Pallet Testing, Correlation, and Analysis

The NASA Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) is being designed to replace the Space Shuttle as the main manned spacecraft for the agency. Based on the predicted environments in the Service Module avionics ring, an isolation system was deemed necessary to protect the avionics packages carried by the spacecraft. Impact, sinusoidal, and random vibration testing were conducted on a prototype Orion Service Module avionics pallet in March 2010 at the NASA Glenn Research Center Structural Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). The pallet design utilized wire rope isolators to reduce the vibration levels seen by the avionics packages. The current pallet design utilizes the same wire rope isolators (M6-120-10) that were tested in March 2010. In an effort to save cost and schedule, the Finite Element Models of the prototype pallet tested in March 2010 were correlated. Frequency Response Function (FRF) comparisons, mode shape and frequency were all part of the correlation process. The non-linear behavior and the modeling the wire rope isolators proved to be the most difficult part of the correlation process. The correlated models of the wire rope isolators were taken from the prototype design and integrated into the current design for future frequency response analysis and component environment specification.

Staab, Lucas↗
NASA NTRS1996

Kinematic/Dynamic Characteristics for Visual and Kinesthetic Virtual Environments

Work was carried out on two topics of principal importance to current progress in virtual environment research at NASA Ames and elsewhere. The first topic was directed at maximizing the temporal dynamic response of visually presented Virtual Environments (VEs) through reorganization and optimization of system hardware and software. The final results of this portion of the work was a VE system in the Advanced Display and Spatial Perception Laboratory at NASA Ames capable of updating at 60 Hz (the maximum hardware refresh rate) with latencies approaching 30 msec. In the course of achieving this system performance, specialized hardware and software tools for measurement of VE latency and analytic models correlating update rate and latency for different system configurations were developed. The second area of activity was the preliminary development and analysis of a novel kinematic architecture for three Degree Of Freedom (DOF) haptic interfaces--devices that provide force feedback for manipulative interaction with virtual and remote environments. An invention disclosure was filed on this work and a patent application is being pursued by NASA Ames. Activities in these two areas are expanded upon below.

Bortolussi, Michael R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

The Scientific Case for Sample Return from a Primitive Near-Earth Asteroid

This paper is predicated on the recent experimental findings that the smallest structural ferromagnesiosilica entities in collected chondritic aggregate interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) have a predictable metastable eutectic composition. Kinetically controlled gas to solid condensation of MgFe-SiO-O2-H2 vapors does NOT produce stoichiometric crystalline solids (i.e. minerals) such as predicted by equilibrium condensation models but instead yields amorphous solids that are chemically ordered at metastable eutectics in the binary phase diagrams. Therefore these condensed dust grains will have a considerable amount of 'internal free energy' that will make them highly responsive to changes in their environments. Their inherent high energy-content 'buys' time and energy for mineralogical modification and chemical readjustment in response to changing environmental conditions. The activation energy barrier for reactions in metastable eutectic solids will be lower than for crystalline solids. As a result the reactions can take place at much lower temperatures and on much shorter time scales. That is, they will also occur much earlier in the evolution of a parent body wherein heat-producing sources may either be immature or inefficient. The ensuing reaction chains from metastable equilibrium to full thermodynamic equilibration with the local environment will be a chaotic 'Ostwald cascade' but from a well defined starting point to a predictable end result. Here we will discuss the implications of metastable eutectic dust as we see them for dust properties in icy and ice-free parent bodies wherein circumstellar dust is still recognizable because of the primitive nature of these parent bodies. We point to potential engineering constraints on sample acquisition and storage during Earth transit. Among the scientific goals of a primitive Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) sample return mission will be verification of the nature of dust forming and modification processes during hierarchical accretion in the earliest protoplanets. We propose sampling an infrared P- or D-class NEA or an object showing cometary activity such as 2201 Oljato that could be an asteroid or evolved comet. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Rietmeijer, Frans J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Biomedical results of the Skylab Program

Skylab, the fourth in a logical sequence of USA manned space flight projects following Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, presented life scientists with their first opportunity for an in-depth study of man's response to the space environment. Extensive medical investigations were undertaken to increase our understanding of man's adaptation to the space environment and his readaptation to gravity upon return to earth. The flight durations of the three Skylab missions were progressively increased from 28 days to 59 days and, finally, 84 days. The results of these investigations of the various body systems clearly denonstrated that man can adapt to zero gravity and perform useful work during long-duration space flight. However, definite changes (some unexpected) in the vestibular, cardiovascular, musculo-skeletal, renal and electrolyte areas were documented. The most significant were: the occurrence of space motion sickness early in the missions; diminished orthostatic tolerance, both in-flight and post-flight; moderate losses of calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen; and decreased tolerance for exercise post-flight. The mechanisms responsible for these physiological responses must be understood and, if necessary, effective countermeasures developed before man can endure unlimited exposure to space flight.

Michel, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Annoyance response to simulated advanced turboprop aircraft interior noise containing tonal beats

A study is done to investigate the effects on subjective annoyance of simulated advanced turboprop (ATP) interior noise environments containing tonal beats. The simulated environments consisted of low-frequency tones superimposed on a turbulent-boundary-layer noise spectrum. The variables used in the study included propeller tone frequency (100 to 250 Hz), propeller tone levels (84 to 105 dB), and tonal beat frequency (0 to 1.0 Hz). Results indicated that propeller tones within the simulated ATP environment resulted in increased annoyance response that was fully predictable in terms of the increase in overall sound pressure level due to the tones. Implications for ATP aircraft include the following: (1) the interior noise environment with propeller tones is more annoying than an environment without tones if the tone is present at a level sufficient to increase the overall sound pressure level; (2) the increased annoyance due to the fundamental propeller tone frequency without harmonics is predictable from the overall sound pressure level; and (3) no additional noise penalty due to the perception of single discrete-frequency tones and/or beats was observed.

Leatherwood, Jack D.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Spaceflight Activates Autophagy Programs and the Proteasome in Mouse Liver

Increased oxidative stress is an unavoidable consequence of exposure to the space environment. Our previous studies showed that mice exposed to space for 13.5 days had decreased glutathione levels, suggesting impairments in oxidative defense. Here we performed unbiased, unsupervised and integrated multi-'omic analysis of metabolomic and transcriptomic datasets from mice flown aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Enrichment analyses of metabolite and gene sets showed significant changes in osmolyte concentrations and pathways related to glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism, likely consequences of relative dehydration of the spaceflight mice. However, we also found increased enrichment of aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and purine metabolic pathways, concomitant with enrichment of genes associated with autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome. When taken together with a down-regulation in NRF2-mediated signaling, our analyses suggest that decreased hepatic oxidative defense may lead to aberrant tRNA post-translational processing, induction of degradation programs and senescence-associated mitochondrial dysfunction in response to the spaceflight environment..

Autophagy↗
NASA NTRS2022

2019 ARIA Proposal Final Report Public Abstract: What Happens to Life in an Ocean World Plume?

The NASA Cassini mission to Saturn discovered persistent jets of water being ejected into space from a subsurface ocean on the small moon Enceladus and evidence that this ocean is habitable for life. The ice resulting from these plumes forms the E Ring of Saturn. Missions are under study to fly through these plumes and collect and analyze samples to look for evidence of life. To support design and instrument selection for these missions, there is a critical need to understand what happens to microbial life adapted to a liquid environment when suddenly ejected into the vacuum of space. We experimentally determined the structural changes in microbial cells in liquid medium when ejected into vacuum. We first developed a vacuum chamber fitted with a feedthrough and nozzle allowing fluid to be injected into vacuum. The nozzle dispersed the fluid into micron-sized droplets. Fluid containing a population of E. Coli microbes was injected into the chamber and droplets were collected on microscope slides and small cups for imaging with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Epifluorescence microscopy, using a lipid stain, and SEM imaging were used to evaluate the cellular integrity of E. coli after injection through the pressurized nozzle into vacuum. The experimental samples showed a 94% decrease in visible intact E. coli cells as compared with control samples but showed a fluorescent residue in the shape of the sublimated droplets that indicated the presence of lipids. E. coli was selected for testing although other cell types could vary physiologically which could affect their response to a vacuum environment. More testing is needed to determine whether other types of microbial cells can survive the plume environment. However, these results suggest that lipids may be directly detectable evidence of life in icy world plumes, but organisms are unlikely to survive due to disruption of their cell walls.

C. R. Stoker↗
NASA NTRS2011

Global Magnetospheric Response to an Interplanetary Shock: THEMIS Observations

We investigate the global response of geospace plasma environment to an interplanetary shock at approx. 0224 UT on May 28, 2008 from multiple THEMIS spacecraft observations in the magnetosheath (THEMIS B and C) and the mid-afternoon (THEMIS A) and dusk magnetosphere (THEMIS D and E). The interaction of the transmitted interplanetary shock with the magnetosphere has global effects. Consequently, it can affect geospace plasma significantly. After interacting with the bow shock, the interplanetary shock transmitted a fast shock and a discontinuity which propagated through the magnetosheath toward the Earth at speeds of 300 km/s and 137 km/s respectively. THEMIS A observations indicate that the plasmaspheric plume changed significantly by the interplanetary shock impact. The plasmaspheric plume density increased rapidly from 10 to 100/ cubic cm in 4 min and the ion distribution changed from isotropic to strongly anisotropic distribution. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves observed by THEMIS A are most likely excited by the anisotropic ion distributions caused by the interplanetary shock impact. To our best knowledge, this is the first direct observation of the plasmaspheric plume response to an interplanetary shock's impact. THEMIS A, but not D or E, observed a plasmaspheric plume in the dayside magnetosphere. Multiple spacecraft observations indicate that the dawn-side edge of the plasmaspheric plume was located between THEMIS A and D (or E).

Zhang, Hui↗
NASA NTRS2015

T-38 Primary Flight Display Prototyping and HIVE Support Abstract & Summary

This fall I worked in EV3 within NASA's Johnson Space Center in The HIVE (Human Integrated Vehicles & Environments). The HIVE is responsible for human in the loop testing, getting new technologies in front of astronauts, operators, and users early in the development cycle to make the interfaces more human friendly. Some projects the HIVE is working on includes user interfaces for future spacecraft, wearables to alert astronauts about important information, and test beds to simulate mock missions. During my internship I created a prototype for T-38 aircraft displays using LabVIEW, learned how to use microcontrollers, and helped out with other small tasks in the HIVE. The purpose of developing a prototype for T-38 Displays in LabVIEW is to analyze functions of the display such as navigation in a cost and time effective manner. The LabVIEW prototypes allow Ellington Field AOD to easily make adjustments to the display before hardcoding the final product. LabVIEW was used to create a user interface for simulation almost identical to the real aircraft display. Goals to begin the T-38 PFD (Primary Flight Display) prototype included creating a T-38 PFD hardware display in a software environment, designing navigation for the menu's, incorporating vertical and horizontal navigation bars, and to add a heading bug for compass controls connected to the HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator). To get started with the project, measurements of the entire display were taken. This enabled an accurate model of the hardware display to be created. Navigation of menu's required some exploration of different buttons on the display. The T-38 simulator and aircraft were used for examining the display. After one piece of the prototype was finished, another trip of to the simulator took place. This was done until all goals for the prototype were complete. Some possible integration ideas for displays in the near future are autopilot selection, touch screen displays, and crew member preferences. Complete navigation, control, and function customization will be achievable once a display is fully developed. Other than the T-38 prototyping, I spent time learning how to design small circuits and write code for them to function. This was done by adding electronic circuit components to breadboard and microcontroller then writing code to speak to those components through the microcontroller. I went through an Arduino starter kit to build circuits and code software that allowed the hardware to act. This work was planned to assist in a lighting project this fall but another solution was discovered for the lighting project. Other tasks that I assisted with, included hands on work such as mock-up construction/removal, logic analyzer repairs, and soldering with circuits. The unique opportunity to be involved work with NASA has significantly changed my educational and career goals. This opportunity has only opened the door to my career with engineering. I have learned over the span of this internship that I am fascinated by the type of work that NASA does. My desire to work in the aerospace industry has increased immensely. I hope to return to NASA to be more involved in the advancement of science, engineering, and spaceflight. My interests for my future education and career lie in NASA’s work - pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.

Boniface, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Effects of Long-Duration Spaceflight on Postflight Terrestrial Locomotion

Locomotion is a complex task requiring the coordinated integration of multiple sensorimotor subsystems. This coordination is exemplified by the precise control of segmental kinematics that allows smooth progression of movement in the face of changing environmental constraints. Exposure to the microgravity environment encountered during space flight induces adaptive modification in the central processing of sensory input to produce motor responses appropriate for the prevailing environment. This inflight adaptive change in sensorimotor function is inappropriate for movement control in 1-g and leads to postflight disturbances in terrestrial locomotor function. We have previously explored the effects of short-duration (7-16 days) space flight on the control of locomotion. The goal of the present set of studies was to investigate the effects of long-duration spaceflight (3-6 months) on the control of locomotion with particular emphasis on understanding how the multiple interacting systems are adaptively modified by prolonged microgravity exposure.

Bloomberg, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office

The Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) has recently been formed within the Engineering Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. With agency-wide responsibility for defining the meteoroid environments for spacecraft engineering operations purposes, the MEO will distribute a state-of-the-art sporadic meteoroid model as well as meteor shower forecasts for spacecraft operators. To improve these models and forecasts, the MEO will manage an observation and research program. Office responsibilities, products, and plans will be discussed in this paper. The MEO is sponsored by the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Headquarters.

Suggs, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Adaptive Responses in Eye-Head-Hand Coordination Following Exposures to a Virtual Environment as a Possible Space Flight Analog

Virtual environments (VE) offer unique training opportunities, particularly for training astronauts and preadapting them to the novel sensory conditions of microgravity. Sensorimotor aftereffects of VEs are often quite similar to adaptive sensorimotor responses observed in astronauts during and/or following space flight. The purpose of this research was to compare disturbances in sensorimotor coordination produced by dome virtual environment display and to examine the effects of exposure duration, and repeated exposures to VR systems. The current study examined disturbances in eye-head-hand (EHH) and eye-head coordination. Preliminary results will be presented. Eleven subjects have participated in the study to date. One training session was completed in order to achieve stable performance on the EHH coordination and VE tasks. Three experimental sessions were performed each separated by one day. Subjects performed a navigation and pick and place task in a dome immersive display VE for 30 or 60 min. The subjects were asked to move objects from one set of 15 pedestals to the other set across a virtual square room through a random pathway as quickly and accurately as possible. EHH coordination was measured before, immediately after, and at 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr and 6 hr following exposure to VR. EHH coordination was measured as position errors and reaction time in a pointing task that included multiple horizontal and vertical LED targets. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the data. In general, we observed significant increases in position errors for both horizontal and vertical targets. The largest decrements were observed immediately following exposure to VR and showed a fairly rapid recovery across test sessions, but not across days. Subjects generally showed faster RTs across days. Individuals recovered from the detrimental effects of exposure to the VE on position errors within 1-2 hours. The fact that subjects did not significantly improve across days suggests that in order to achieve dual adaptation of EHH coordination may require more than three training sessions. These findings provide some direction for developing training schedules for VE users that facilitate adaptation, support the idea that preflight training of astronauts may serve as useful countermeasure for the sensorimotor effects of space flight, and support the idea that VEs may serve as an analog for sensorimotor effects of spaceflight.

Harm, Deborah L.↗
NASA NTRS1967

The medical legacy of gemini.

Gemini program study to provide safe and biologically sound method of man qualifying for space exploration

HUMAN TOLERANCE↗
NASA NTRS1971

Medical experience in manned space flight

Medical flight information on astronauts response to space flight environment in confined and unconfined state and during intra- and extravehicular activities

Berry, C. A.↗