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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 379 records · Page 21

The Segmented Aperture Interferometric Nulling Testbed (SAINT) I: Overview and Air-side System Description

This work presents an overview of the This work presents an overview of the Segmented Aperture Interferometric Nulling Testbed (SAINT), a project that will pair an actively-controlled macro-scale segmented mirror with the Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC). SAINT will incorporate the VNCs demonstrated wavefront sensing and control system to refine and quantify the end-to-end system performance for high-contrast starlight suppression. This pathfinder system will be used as a tool to study and refine approaches to mitigating instabilities and complex diffraction expected from future large segmented aperture telescopes., a project that will pair an actively-controlled macro-scale segmented mirror with the Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC). SAINT will incorporate the VNCs demonstrated wavefront sensing and control system to refine and quantify the end-to-end system performance for high-contrast starlight suppression. This pathfinder system will be used as a tool to study and refine approaches to mitigating instabilities and complex diffraction expected from future large segmented aperture telescopes.

wavefront sensing↗

Understanding the Role of CFD, Including RANS, DES, LES and DNS, in Hypersonic Propulsion Design and Analysis

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has matured to the point where it is becoming ubiquitous in the design and analysis of aerospace vehicles and their propulsion systems. The current state-of-the-art of CFD in hypersonic propulsion design and analysis as well as a historical perspective of its development over the last 50 years is presented. The current state-of-the-art for the design of finite rate chemically reacting turbulent hypersonic flow is shown to currently be Reynolds averaged simulations (RAS) where the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RAS) equations are solved to obtain steady state solutions. An overview of the physical modeling techniques employed by RAS for the simulation of hypersonic chemically reacting flow are presented. However, scale resolving simulation techniques, such as detached eddy simulation (DES), large eddy simulations (LES), hybrid RAS/LES and direct numerical simulations (DNS), are becoming becoming powerful tools for point design analysis. One example of such a scale resolving technique, hybrid RAS/LES, will be briefly described as well as how it can be used to help address model form uncertainties in RAS.

Hypersonic↗

Addressing CFM Modeling Gaps for Application into NASA’S Future Cutting Edge Missions

NASA, the US industry, and international partners are crafting frameworks to enable sustaining lunar missions. The ongoing programs, led by the agency, and prominent industry players, encompass plans for the sustained use of cryogenic propellants in lunar landers and in-space propellant refueling depots. NASA’s proactive funding initiatives have fueled the advancement of predictive computational models tailored to enhance the storage and transfer of cryogenic propellant. This paper aims to spotlight the latest advancements in this arena and delve into the collaborative efforts surrounding predictive model development within internal NASA programs as well as current and previous collaborations with industry and international partners. The paper presents an overview of recent advancements in cryogenic fluid management model development, along with their correlation with recent microgravity and large-scale cryogenic ground tests. The tests include key experiments such as the ISS Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) series of experiments and the (Robotic Refueling Mission 3) RRM3 test during which liquid methane was stored on-orbit for an extended period of five months. The paper also highlights the anchoring of propellant tank pressurized drain tests involving sloshing that were conducted with liquid methane propellant during the Apollo/Saturn Era. Additionally, the paper discusses model anchoring against more recent sloshing tests carried out with liquid hydrogen propellant. Notable large-scale tests, such as a liquid oxygen propellant transfer test conducted by SpaceX were also used to help correlate a two-phase propellant transfer model using the valuable data measured during the test. The paper further showcases model correlations against a substantial oxygen liquefaction test undertaken by NASA to validate In-Situ-Resource-Utilization (ISRU) technologies that will prove pivotal for a sustained lunar presence.

Low-gravity fluid modeling↗

Overview of the MOSAiC expedition—Atmosphere

With the Arctic rapidly changing, the needs to observe, understand, and model the changes are essential. To support these needs, an annual cycle of observations of atmospheric properties, processes, and interactions were made while drifting with the sea ice across the central Arctic during the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition from October 2019 to September 2020. An international team designed and implemented the comprehensive program to document and characterize all aspects of the Arctic atmospheric system in unprecedented detail, using a variety of approaches, and across multiple scales. These measurements were coordinated with other observational teams to explore cross-cutting and coupled interactions with the Arctic Ocean, sea ice, and ecosystem through a variety of physical and biogeochemical processes. This overview outlines the breadth and complexity of the atmospheric research program, which was organized into 4 subgroups: atmospheric state, clouds and precipitation, gases and aerosols, and energy budgets. Atmospheric variability over the annual cycle revealed important influences from a persistent large-scale winter circulation pattern, leading to some storms with pressure and winds that were outside the interquartile range of past conditions suggested by long-term reanalysis. Similarly, the MOSAiC location was warmer and wetter in summer than the reanalysis climatology, in part due to its close proximity to the sea ice edge. The comprehensiveness of the observational program for characterizing and analyzing atmospheric phenomena is demonstrated via a winter case study examining air mass transitions and a summer case study examining vertical atmospheric evolution. Overall, the MOSAiC atmospheric program successfully met its objectives and was the most comprehensive atmospheric measurement program to date conducted over the Arctic sea ice. The obtained data will support a broad range of coupled-system scientific research and provide an important foundation for advancing multiscale modeling capabilities in the Arctic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Survey of Federal and State-Level Solar System Decommissioning Policies in the United States

In the United States, cumulative installed utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity reached more than 60 gigawatts (GW)dc at the end of 2020 (Davis et al. 2021b). Federal and state renewable energy and net-zero emissions policies will continue to drive solar development in the United States with installed utility-scale PV projected to quadruple (240 GWdc) by 2030 (Davis et al. 2021a; Heeter 2014). Although more than 75% of all U.S. installed utility-scale PV came online in the last 5 years, federal, state, and local governments are planning for system decommissioning (Davis et al. 2021b). Our research found that as of April 2021, one federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and 15 U.S. states have solar decommissioning policies in place. North Carolina is also in the process of drafting solar decommissioning regulations, and at least 4 states (Maine, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas) proposed solar decommissioning bills in the 2021 legislative session. This report provides a survey and brief overview of both federal and U.S. statewide solar decommissioning policies, and a discussion of some of the potential impacts different policy designs may have on utility-scale solar development, including impacts that might influence construction timelines and over project costs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

The Two Micron All Sky Survey

The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) will provide a uniform survey of the entire sky at three near-infrared wavebands: J(lambda(sub eff) = 1.25 micrometers), H(lambda(sub eff) = 1.65 micrometers), and K(sub s)(lambda(sub eff) = 2.16 micrometers). A major goal of the survey is to probe large scale structures in the Milky Way and in the Local Universe, exploiting the relatively high transparency of the interstellar medium in the near-infrared, and the high near-infrared luminosities of evolved low- and intermediate-mass stars. A sensitive overview of the near-infrared sky is also an essential next step to maximize the gains achievable with infrared array technology. Our assessment of the astrophysical questions that might be addressed with these new arrays is currently limited by the very bright flux limit of the only preceding large scale near-infrared sky survey, the Two Micron Sky Survey carried out at Caltech in the late 1960's. Near-infrared instruments based on the new array technology have already obtained spectra of objects 1 million times fainter than the limit of the TMSS! This paper summarizes the essential parameters of the 2MASS project and the rationale behind those choices, and gives an overview of results obtained with a prototype camera that has been in operation since May 1992. We conclude with a list of expected data products and a statement of the data release policy.

Kleinmann, S. G.↗

Survey of decentralized control methods

An overview is presented of the types of problems that are being considered by control theorists in the area of dynamic large scale systems with emphasis on decentralized control strategies. Approaches that deal directly with decentralized decision making for large scale systems are discussed. It is shown that future advances in decentralized system theory are intimately connected with advances in the stochastic control problem with nonclassical information pattern. The basic assumptions and mathematical tools associated with the latter are summarized, and recommendations concerning future research are presented.

Athans, M.↗

An Annotative Review of Multiscale Modeling and its Application to Scales Inherent in the Field of ICME

In order to obtain a general understanding of the rich and diverse research being conducted in the area of multiscale modeling (MM), an overview is conducted with a special focus on composite materials. The objective is to glean both qualitative and quantitative information with regards to MM efforts with intentions of revealing some issues that may enable the field of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) as well as providing a starting point for specialists and non-specialists in the area of MM with regards to a variety of classifications.

Sullivan, Rani W.↗

Urban Image Classification: Per-Pixel Classifiers, Sub-Pixel Analysis, Object-Based Image Analysis, and Geospatial Methods: Chapter - 10

Remote sensing methods used to generate base maps to analyze the urban environment rely predominantly on digital sensor data from space-borne platforms. This is due in part from new sources of high spatial resolution data covering the globe, a variety of multispectral and multitemporal sources, sophisticated statistical and geospatial methods, and compatibility with GIS data sources and methods. The goal of this chapter is to review the four groups of classification methods for digital sensor data from space-borne platforms; per-pixel, sub-pixel, object-based (spatial-based), and geospatial methods. Per-pixel methods are widely used methods that classify pixels into distinct categories based solely on the spectral and ancillary information within that pixel. They are used for simple calculations of environmental indices (e.g., NDVI) to sophisticated expert systems to assign urban land covers. Researchers recognize however, that even with the smallest pixel size the spectral information within a pixel is really a combination of multiple urban surfaces. Sub-pixel classification methods therefore aim to statistically quantify the mixture of surfaces to improve overall classification accuracy. While within pixel variations exist, there is also significant evidence that groups of nearby pixels have similar spectral information and therefore belong to the same classification category. Object-oriented methods have emerged that group pixels prior to classification based on spectral similarity and spatial proximity. Classification accuracy using object-based methods show significant success and promise for numerous urban 3 applications. Like the object-oriented methods that recognize the importance of spatial proximity, geospatial methods for urban mapping also utilize neighboring pixels in the classification process. The primary difference though is that geostatistical methods (e.g., spatial autocorrelation methods) are utilized during both the pre- and post-classification steps. Within this chapter, each of the four approaches is described in terms of scale and accuracy classifying urban land use and urban land cover; and for its range of urban applications. We demonstrate the overview of four main classification groups in Figure 1 while Table 1 details the approaches with respect to classification requirements and procedures (e.g., reflectance conversion, steps before training sample selection, training samples, spatial approaches commonly used, classifiers, primary inputs for classification, output structures, number of output layers, and accuracy assessment). The chapter concludes with a brief summary of the methods reviewed and the challenges that remain in developing new classification methods for improving the efficiency and accuracy of mapping urban areas.

Myint, Soe W.↗

NASA ACC High Energy Dynamic Impact Methodology and Outcomes

For High Energy Dynamic Impact (HEDI) events, testing to evaluate the structural response of primary aircraft structure for design and certification is both expensive and time consuming. This paper discusses current work seeking to assess, develop, and validate appropriate analytical models that accurately predict physical response, damage, and failure modes for large scale composite structures in HEDI events. Four state-of-the-art Progressive Damage Analysis (PDA) methods were employed for this phased project: LS-DYNA MAT162, LS-DYNA MAT261, Smoothed Particle Galerkin (SPG), and EMU Peridynamics. Multiple material systems were considered, namely T700/5208 textile-infusion triaxial braid, T800/AMD-825 textile-infusion triaxial braid, IM7/8552 uni-directional tape, and SPG 196-PW/8552 plain-weave fabric. Extensive ballistic impact testing was performed to support this activity and measured results were compared to predictive models for assessment using panel delamination, panel displacement, force at the load cells, and threshold velocity as measures. Ultimately, the work under this activity provided significant progress in advancing the state-of-the-art in the use of PDA for HEDI events. Each material model had favorable performance comparing to test in some parameters and needed improvement in others. With the lessons learned from this activity, significant progress was made in the ability to predict panel behavior for a more general case beyond the flat panel in a ballistic impact event. Subsequent Phase II of the NASA ACC HEDI effort will continue to build on the coupon testing, flat panel ballistic impact testing, and analysis performed to-date with application of the PDA methods for intended material selections to test articles with greater complexity of configuration, curvature, and scale. It is not the intention of this paper to present a full set of data, but rather to give an overview of the NASA HEDI effort and show a small representative subset of the test and analysis results.

Hunziker, Kenneth J.↗

Planetary Rover Simulation for Lunar Exploration Missions

When planning planetary rover missions it is useful to develop intuition and skills driving in, quite literally, alien environments before incurring the cost of reaching said locales. Simulators make it possible to operate in environments that have the physical characteristics of target locations without the expense and overhead of extensive physical tests. To that end, NASA Ames and Open Robotics collaborated on a Lunar rover driving simulator based on the open source Gazebo simulation platform and leveraging ROS (Robotic Operating System) components. The simulator was integrated with research and mission software for rover driving, system monitoring, and science instrument simulation to constitute an end-to-end Lunar mission simulation capability. Although we expect our simulator to be applicable to arbitrary Lunar regions, we designed to a reference mission of prospecting in polar regions. The harsh lighting and low illumination angles at the Lunar poles combine with the unique reflectance properties of Lunar regolith to present a challenging visual environment for both human and computer perception. Our simulator placed an emphasis on high fidelity visual simulation in order to produce synthetic imagery suitable for evaluating human rover drivers with navigation tasks, as well as providing test data for computer vision software development.In this paper, we describe the software used to construct the simulated Lunar environment and the components of the driving simulation. Our synthetic terrain generation software artificially increases the resolution of Lunar digital elevation maps by fractal synthesis and inserts craters and rocks based on Lunar size-frequency distribution models. We describe the necessary enhancements to import large scale, high resolution terrains into Gazebo, as well as our approach to modeling the visual environment of the Lunar surface. An overview of the mission software system is provided, along with how ROS was used to emulate flight software components that had not been developed yet. Finally, we discuss the effect of using the high-fidelity synthetic Lunar images for visual odometry. We also characterize the wheel slip model, and find some inconsistencies in the produced wheel slip behaviour.

Allan, Mark↗

Sensing the Ocean Biological Carbon Pump from Space: A Review of Capabilities, Concepts, Research Gaps and Future Developments

The element carbon plays a central role in climate and life on Earth. It is capable of moving among the geosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. This flow of carbon is referred to as the Earth's carbon cycle. It is also intimately linked to the cycling of other elements and compounds. The ocean plays a fundamental role in Earth's carbon cycle, helping to regulate atmospheric CO2 concentration. The ocean biological carbon pump (OBCP), defined as a set of processes that transfer organic carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, is at the heart of the ocean carbon cycle. Monitoring the OBCP is critical to understanding how the Earth's carbon cycle is changing. At present, satellite remote sensing is the only tool available for viewing the entire surface ocean at high temporal and spatial scales. In this paper, we review methods for monitoring the OBCP with a focus on satellites. We begin by providing an overview of the OBCP, defining and describing the pools of carbon in the ocean, and the processes controlling fluxes of carbon between the pools, from the surface to the deep ocean, and among ocean, land and atmosphere. We then examine how field measurements, from ship and autonomous platforms, complement satellite observations, provide validation points for satellite products and lead to a more complete view of the OBCP than would be possible from satellite observations alone. A thorough analysis is then provided on methods used for monitoring the OBCP from satellite platforms, covering current capabilities, concepts and gaps, and the requirement for uncertainties in satellite products. We finish by discussing the potential for producing a satellite-based carbon budget for the oceans, the advantages of integrating satellite-based observations with ecosystem models and field measurements, and future opportunities in space, all with a view towards bringing satellite observations into the limelight of ocean carbon research.

Robert J. W. Brewin↗

PuMA and Multiscale Modeling

The Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software was initially developed to analyze tomographic reconstructions of fibrous materials, commonly used as insulators in NASA spacecrafts. Since then, the software grew in capabilities and it is now able to compute many different geometric and physical properties, which are often anisotropic at multiple scales. In addition, PuMA can generate its own artificial microstructures in order to study their performance. This talk will give an overview of the main functions and display its application to some of the widely used carbon ablators for heatshields, including the more challenging woven architectures.

Federico Semeraro↗

Overview of Ablative TPS Modeling at NASA Ames

Over the past decade, NASA has invested in efforts to build predictive thermal protection system (TPS) material models from the micro-scale to the macro-scale. To complement the mission design cycle process and reduce the need for extensive testing, NASA is developing modeling and simulation tools that enable characterizing material properties and response to hot plasma experienced during atmospheric entry. Traditional material response and ablation modeling tools, such as the heritage code FIAT, and its multidimensional siblings, TITAN and 3dFIAT, are being complemented with newly developed software such as Icarus and PATO. Both of these programs are three-dimensional, finite-volume solvers that use unstructured meshes and 21st century programming paradigms to allow for efficient parallel simulations. FIAT and Icarus are also used for TPS sizing purposes. Today, these traditional tools are being supplemented with computational materials models at the atomistic level. The scales of interest range from computational chemistry (Density Functional Theory [DFT]), to atomistic simulations (Molecular Dynamics [MD]), to the microscale with the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software that was recently awarded the 2022 NASA Software of the Year award. Finally, thermo-structural modeling is also of interest to the TPS Materials branch and done using commercial tools such as MSC MARC, MENTAT, NASTRAN and PATRAN. The present talk will also link the use of these computational tools to current NASA missions and projects associated with challenging and complex vehicles entries/reentries.

materials modeling↗

Chapter 6: Economic Development: Renewables, Sustainable Economies, & Carbon Offsets

This chapter reviews economic development issues and opportunities that Tribes face in the age of climate change. It includes summaries pertaining to Tribal histories and trauma, harmful federal policies and subsequent land tenure issues, and the surge of economic sovereignty through renewable energy development on Tribal lands, including carbon offset markets. Recommendations are offered to reinforce and expedite Tribal economic self-determination on Tribal lands in the context of climate change. The chapter opens with the narrative of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of southwest Colorado, describing how this Tribe developed a large-scale solar economic development project to reduce their Tribal energy bills and decrease their dependence on fossil fuel usage. A researched overview of Economic Development as it relates to Tribes and climate change follows these narratives, beginning with the Key Messages and Recommendation that the authors have identified.

climate change↗

TOGETs Overview

The Transmission Optimization with Grid Enhancing Technologies (TOGETs) project will guide future research to fill in gaps on publicly available knowledge of Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) and conduct a full scale, multi-faceted field exercise. Ultimately the project aims to test, verify and validate deployed GETs in a transmission system.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

CID overview

On December 1, 1984, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted the first remotely piloted air-to-ground crash test of a transport category aircraft. The Full-Scale Transport Controlled Impact Demonstration (CID) was the culmination of 4 years of effort by the two agencies. NASA and the FAA had many objectives during the joint planning and execution of the Controlled Impact Demonstration. The structural loads experiment was very successful. Ninety-seven percent of the channels were active at impact. The data is still being assessed. Only a portion of the data is presented here; approximately 80 channels of data are available. Analysis of the remaining data is in progress. Interior photography was also very successful. One hundred percent of the cameras functioned. The film contains unique information on the development of fire and smoke in the interior of the aircraft. From a human tolerance point of view, the CID was simulation of a survivable crash.

Hayduk, R. J.↗

Development Overview of the Revised NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon

The development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) Ultra Long Duration Balloon (ULDB) has made significant strides in addressing the deployment issues experienced in the scaling up of the balloon structure. This paper concentrates on the super-pressure balloon developments that have been, and are currently being planned by the NASA Balloon Program Office at Goddard Space Flight Center s Wallops Flight Facility. The goal of the NASA ULDB development project is to attempt to extend the potential flight durations for large scientific balloon payloads. A summary of the February 2005 test flight from Ft. Sumner, New Mexico will be presented. This test flight spurred a number of investigations and advancements for this project. The development path has pursued some new approaches in the design, analysis, and testing of the balloons. New issues have been ideEti6ed throu& both analysis md testing. These have been addressed in the design stage before the next balloon construction was begun. This paper will give an overview of the recent history for this effort and the development approach pursued for ULDB. A description of the balloon design, including the modifications made as a result of the lessons learned, will be presented. Areas to be presented include the design approach, deployment issues that have been encountered and the proposed solutions, ground testing, photogrammetry, and an analysis overview. Test flight planning and considerations will be presented including test flight safety. An extended duration test flight of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Ultra Long Duration Balloon is planned for the May/June 2006 time frame. This flight is expected to fly from Sweden to either Canada or Alaska. Preliminary results of this flight will be presented as available. Future plans for both ground testing and additional test flights will also be presented. Goals of the future test flights, which are staged in increments of increasing suspended load and altitude, will be presented. This will include the projected balloon volumes, payload capabilities, test flight locations, and proposed flight schedule.

Cathey, H. M.↗