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At least 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2025

Countermeasures for Mitigation of Sensorimotor Decrements Following Head-Down Tilt Bed Rest

BACKGROUND Astronauts experience postflight disturbances in postural and locomotor control due to sensorimotor adaptations during spaceflight. These alterations may have adverse consequences if a rapid egress is required after landing. Although exercise is partially effective for mitigating cardiovascular and muscular deconditioning, additional countermeasures are needed to further preserve sensorimotor function. Proprioception training and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) are two promising in-flight countermeasures. Since prolonged head down tilt bed rest (HDTBR) is a spaceflight analog for body unloading and causes postural and locomotor control decrements that parallel those observed after spaceflight, it can be used to facilitate the development of these countermeasures. METHODS This study will determine the effects of proprioception training and EMS on functional task performance and sensorimotor function following 60 days of 6° HDTBR. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1) an EMS arm, 2) a proprioception training arm, 3) an exercise plus proprioceptive training arm, and 4) a control arm. The EMS countermeasure will include daily bilateral stimulation of selected bilateral lower extremity muscles (30 minutes per session). Proprioception training will be performed three days per week (25 minutes per session) consisting of body-loaded postural tasks in the horizontal position on an air bearing sled. Exercise training will mimic current protocols used on the International Space Station, but treadmill aerobic exercise will be replaced with additional cycling aerobic exercise. Primary outcome measures will include pre- and post- HDTBR functional tests that require high demand for dynamic control of postural stability. Secondary measures will be used to explore key physiological changes that underlie countermeasure benefits. All HDTBR and data collection activities will be completed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) at the :envihab facility. Given the constrained samples size, a Bayesian modelling approach will be used to quantify the probability that there is an effect of a given magnitude. HARDWARE AND PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT Final hardware modifications and protocol developments were completed in preparation for Campaign 1, which began in September 2024. These included shipment, setup, and operator training for the transportable gravity bed, horizontal squat device, foam obstacle course, EMS devices, leg dexterity system, foot sole skin sensitivity system, and Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) ultrasound device. In addition, specialized protocols were developed for data collection using DLR’s equipment, including muscle morphology magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical coherence tomography, venous blood flow MRI and ultrasound, muscle ultrasound and impedance, and skin blood flow ultrasound. We will present early data from the first campaign, which concluded in November, 2024. These will be compared with previous data from the recent 30-day HDTBR campaigns (Spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome countermeasures (SANS-CM)) conducted at DLR. RELEVANCE The deliverable from this project will be proof-of-concept sensorimotor countermeasure designs for functional task performance with full assessment of efficacy in a spaceflight analog. If one or more countermeasures are effective, they will be translated for validation with the suite of operationally implemented in-flight countermeasures.

T R Macaulay↗
NASA NTRS2025

A Preliminary Study on the Feasibility of Large Language Models for Detecting Micro-Behaviors Among Team Members in Space Missions

Large-language models (LLMs) have been recently used for spoken language understanding (SLU) to infer meaning and semantics from speech in tasks such as speaker intent and sentiment classification. Due to being trained on large amounts of data, and their ability to understand context and relationships between words, LLMs are competent, enabling them to generalize across tasks without requiring many task-specific training samples. This research examines the feasibility of few-shot learning in LLMs for detecting subtle, brief, and possibly unconscious interactions between team members, called ``micro-behaviors," and provides insights into the appropriate design of LLMs for this task. Our data came from 5 teams participating in a 45-day mission at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA). More specifically we used data collected from team interaction battery (TIB) tasks teams performed five times in-mission which comprise an average 1.5 hours of conversation data per day. Micro-behaviors were coded according to an adapted version of Smith & Griffins (2022) theoretical framework in terms of Violation (i.e., presence of valenced behavior, uplifting/positive or discouraging/negative), Intensity (i.e., force of behavior in terms of how uplifting or discouraging is the behavior), and Intent (i.e., motive of the behavior in terms of whether it was deliberate or unintentional). We explore the ability of LLMs to detect the presence and intensity of micro-behaviors. We examine employing and fine-tuning readily available LLMs (i.e., RoBERTa, DistilBERT), as well as prompting state-of-the-art sequence classification models (i.e., Llama-2, Llama-3). In a total of 13,058 conversational turns (17.8% uplifting, 3.3% discouraging, 75.76% neutral, 3.14% nulls), we compute the macro F1-score of the 3-way micro-behavior classification task (i.e., classifying among uplifting, discouraging, and neutral; 33% chance). Results indicate that the RoBERTa model achieves a F1-score of 36.2% (uplift: 43.3% precision (P), 15.1% recall (R); discourage: 20% P, 0.5% R). These results significantly improve when we augment the data via paraphrasing in the RoBERTa model, reaching a 41.2% macro F1-score (uplift: 37.7% P, 86.3% R; discourage: 3.5% P, 1.8% R). Finally, the Llama-2 model with 3-shot prompting yields 38% macro F1-score (uplift: 28.7% P, 20% R; discourage: 7.2% P, 18% R), which is slightly better compared to the RoBERTa model without data augmentation, highlighting the effectiveness of sequence classification models in detecting minority classes with a small sample size. Findings indicate that LLMs hold potential to detect subtle behaviors in conversations, which could be valuable in assessing team behavior in space exploration missions. Future studies will evaluate the performance of different LLM prompting strategies or fine-tuning methods.

Ankush Raut↗
NASA NTRS1984

Response characteristics of laser diffraction particle size analyzers - Optical sample volume extent and lens effects

The response characteristics of laser diffraction particle sizing instruments were studied theoretically and experimentally. In particular, the extent of optical sample volume and the effects of receiving lens properties were investigated in detail. The experimental work was performed with a particle size analyzer using a calibration reticle containing a two-dimensional array of opaque circular disks on a glass substrate. The calibration slide simulated the forward-scattering characteristics of a Rosin-Rammler droplet size distribution. The reticle was analyzed with collection lenses of 63 mm, 100 mm, and 300 mm focal lengths using scattering inversion software that determined best-fit Rosin-Rammler size distribution parameters. The data differed from the predicted response for the reticle by about 10 percent. A set of calibration factor for the detector elements was determined that corrected for the nonideal response of the instrument. The response of the instrument was also measured as a function of reticle position, and the results confirmed a theoretical optical sample volume model presented here.

Hirleman, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Aircraft studies of size-dependent aerosol sampling through inlets

Representative measurement of aerosol from aircraft-aspirated systems requires special efforts in order to maintain near isokinetic sampling conditions, estimate aerosol losses in the sample system, and obtain a measurement of sufficient duration to be statistically significant for all sizes of interest. This last point is especially critical for aircraft measurements which typically require fast response times while sampling in clean remote regions. This paper presents size-resolved tests, intercomparisons, and analysis of aerosol inlet performance as determined by a custom laser optical particle counter. Measurements discussed here took place during the Global Backscatter Experiment (1988-1989) and the Central Pacific Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (1988). System configurations are discussed including (1) nozzle design and performance, (2) system transmission efficiency, (3) nonadiabatic effects in the sample line and its effect on the sample-line relative humidity, and (4) the use and calibration of a virtual impactor.

Porter, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Some physical properties of Apollo 12 lunar samples

The size distribution of the lunar fines is measured, and small but significant differences are found between the Apollo 11 and 12 samples as well as among the Apollo 12 core samples. The observed differences in grain size distribtuion in the core samples are related to surface transportation processes, and the importance of a sedimentation process versus meteoritic impact gardening of the mare grounds is discussed. The optical and the radio frequency electrical properties are measured and are also found to differ only slightly from Apollo 11 results.

Gold, T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Grain size analysis and high frequency electrical properties of Apollo 15 and 16 samples

The particle size distribution of eleven surface fines samples collected by Apollo 15 and 16 was determined by the method of measuring the sedimentation rate in a column of water. The fact that the grain size distribution in the core samples shows significant differences within a few centimeters variation of depth is important for the understanding of the surface transportation processes which are responsible for the deposition of thin layers of different physical and/or chemical origin. The variation with density of the absorption length is plotted, and results would indicate that for the case of meter wavelength radar waves, reflections from depths of more than 100 meters generally contribute significantly to the radar echoes obtained.

Gold, T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Occurrence of Radio Minihalos in a Mass-Limited Sample of Galaxy Clusters

We investigate the occurrence of radio minihalos-diffuse radio sources of unknown origin observed in the cores of some galaxy clusters-in a statistical sample of 58 clusters drawn from the Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster catalog using a mass cut (M(sub 500) greater than 6 x 10(exp 14) solar mass). We supplement our statistical sample with a similarly sized nonstatistical sample mostly consisting of clusters in the ACCEPT X-ray catalog with suitable X-ray and radio data, which includes lower-mass clusters. Where necessary (for nine clusters), we reanalyzed the Very Large Array archival radio data to determine whether a minihalo is present. Our total sample includes all 28 currently known and recently discovered radio minihalos, including six candidates. We classify clusters as cool-core or non-cool-core according to the value of the specific entropy floor in the cluster center, rederived or newly derived from the Chandra X-ray density and temperature profiles where necessary (for 27 clusters). Contrary to the common wisdom that minihalos are rare, we find that almost all cool cores-at least 12 out of 15 (80%)-in our complete sample of massive clusters exhibit minihalos. The supplementary sample shows that the occurrence of minihalos may be lower in lower-mass cool-core clusters. No minihalos are found in non-cool cores or "warm cores." These findings will help test theories of the origin of minihalos and provide information on the physical processes and energetics of the cluster cores.

catalogs↗
NASA NTRS1982

Acoustic levitating apparatus for submillimeter samples

A hemispherical focusing radiator has been employed to generate ultrahigh intensity sound waves in a gaseous medium at the center of curvature of the radiator (focal point) at 75, 107, and 163 kHz. A volumetric force is produced by optimally placing a reflector in the vicinity of the focal point to levitate samples of submillimeter sizes. It has been demonstrated that a sample with a specific gravity of 19.3 can be levitated with this apparatus. The lateral positional wandering of the sample in the force well is estimated at less than 5% of the dimension of the sample size used.

Lee, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Multiple Approaches to Down Sizing of the Lunar Sample Return Collection

Future Lunar missions are planned for at least 7 days, significantly longer than the 3 days of the later Apollo missions. The last of those missions, A-17, returned 111 kg of samples plus another 20 kg of containers. The current Constellation program requirements for return weight for science is 100 kg with the hope of raising that limit to near 250 kg including containers and other non-geological materials. The estimated return weight for rock and soil samples will, at best, be about 175 kg. One method proposed to accomplish down-sizing of the collection is the use of a Geo-Lab in the lunar habitat to complete a preliminary examination of selected samples and facilitate prioritizing the return samples.

Lofgren, Gary E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Spatial Sampling of Weather Data for Regional Crop Yield Simulations

Field-scale crop models are increasingly applied at spatio-temporal scales that range from regions to the globe and from decades up to 100 years. Sufficiently detailed data to capture the prevailing spatio-temporal heterogeneity in weather, soil, and management conditions as needed by crop models are rarely available. Effective sampling may overcome the problem of missing data but has rarely been investigated. In this study the effect of sampling weather data has been evaluated for simulating yields of winter wheat in a region in Germany over a 30-year period (1982-2011) using 12 process-based crop models. A stratified sampling was applied to compare the effect of different sizes of spatially sampled weather data (10, 30, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and full coverage of 34,078 sampling points) on simulated wheat yields. Stratified sampling was further compared with random sampling. Possible interactions between sample size and crop model were evaluated. The results showed differences in simulated yields among crop models but all models reproduced well the pattern of the stratification. Importantly, the regional mean of simulated yields based on full coverage could already be reproduced by a small sample of 10 points. This was also true for reproducing the temporal variability in simulated yields but more sampling points (about 100) were required to accurately reproduce spatial yield variability. The number of sampling points can be smaller when a stratified sampling is applied as compared to a random sampling. However, differences between crop models were observed including some interaction between the effect of sampling on simulated yields and the model used. We concluded that stratified sampling can considerably reduce the number of required simulations. But, differences between crop models must be considered as the choice for a specific model can have larger effects on simulated yields than the sampling strategy. Assessing the impact of sampling soil and crop management data for regional simulations of crop yields is still needed.

upscaling↗
NASA NTRS2004

Production Rates of Cosmogenic Nuclides in the Knyahinya L-Chondrite

The production rates of spallogenic radionuclides and stable isotopes in the L-chondrite Knyahinya were investigated using the MCNPX code. Numerous cosmogenic nuclides had been measured in many Knyahinya samples. The pre-atmospheric size and sample locations of Knyahinya are well known, thus Knyahinya is a good test case for cosmogenic-nuclide production-rate calculations. Our calculated profiles were compared to the measurements to determine effective proton fluxes.

Kim, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Compact Sensitive Piezoelectric Mass Balance for Measurement of Unconsolidated Materials in Space

In many in-situ instruments information about the mass of the sample could aid in the interpretation of the data and portioning instruments might require an accurate sizing of the sample mass before dispensing the sample. In addition, on potential sample return missions a method to directly assess the captured sample size would be required to determine if the sampler could return or needs to continue attempting to acquire sample. In an effort to meet these requirements piezoelectric balances were developed using flextensional actuators which are capable of monitoring the mass using two methods. A piezoelectric balance could be used to measure mass directly by monitoring the voltage developed across the piezoelectric which is linear with force, or it could be used in resonance to produce a frequency change proportional to the mass change. In this case of the latter, the piezoelectric actuator/balance would be swept in frequency through its fundamental resonance. If a mass is added to the balance the resonance frequency would shift down proportionally to the mass. By monitoring the frequency shift the mass could be determined. This design would allow for two independent measurements of the mass. In microgravity environments spacecraft thrusters could be used to provide acceleration in order to produce the required force for the first technique or to bring the mass into contact with the balance in the second approach. In addition, the measuring actuators, if driven at higher voltages, could be used to fluidize the powder to aid sample movement. In this paper, we outline some of our design considerations and present the results of a few prototype balances that we have developed.

resonance↗
NASA NTRS1981

Sampling Landsat classifications for crop area estimation

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of several sampling alternatives on the accuracy of crop area estimates made from classification of Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data. The specific objective was to assess the precision and the bias associated with alternative sampling schemes involving different numbers of several sampling unit sizes. The estimates achieved using the 5 by 6 nm segments were found to have the least precision of any sampling scheme tested. The estimates become more precise as the segment size decreases and more segments are taken. The precision of the 5 by 6 nm segments was significantly less than that of the pixel samples. None of the sampling schemes was significantly biased on the average, and none of the average estimates differed significantly from the population parameter. The maximum absolute deviation, however, was directly related to sampling unit size and should be considered in selection of a sampling unit.

Hixson, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Nanofluidic Size-Exclusion Chromatograph

Efforts are under way to develop a nanofluidic size-exclusion chromatograph (SEC), which would be a compact, robust, lightweight instrument for separating molecules of interest according to their sizes and measuring their relative abundances in small samples. About as large as a deck of playing cards, the nanofluidic SEC would serve, in effect, as a laboratory on a chip that would perform the functions of a much larger, conventional, bench-top SEC and ancillary equipment, while consuming much less power and much smaller quantities of reagent and sample materials. Its compactness and low power demand would render it attractive for field applications in which, typically, it would be used to identify and quantitate a broad range of polar and nonpolar organic compounds in soil, ice, and water samples. Size-exclusion chromatography is a special case of high-performance liquid chromatography. In a conventional SEC, a sample plug is driven by pressure along a column packed with silica or polymer beads that contain uniform nanopores. The interstices between, and the pores in, the beads collectively constitute a size-exclusion network. Molecules follow different paths through the size-exclusion network, such that characteristic elution times can be related to sizes of molecules: basically, smaller molecules reach the downstream end of the column after the larger ones do because the smaller ones enter minor pores and stay there for a while, whereas the larger ones do not enter the pores. The volume accessible to molecules gradually diminishes as their size increases. All molecules bigger than a pore size elute together. For most substances, the elution times and sizes of molecules can be correlated directly with molecular weights. Hence, by measuring the flux of molecules arriving at the downstream end as a function of time, one can obtain a liquid mass spectrum for the molecules present in a sample over a broad range of molecular weights.

Feldman, Sabrina↗
NASA NTRS1992

Distribution of human waste samples in relation to sizing waste processing in space

Human waste processing for closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) in space requires that there be an accurate knowledge of the quantity of wastes produced. Because initial CELSS will be handling relatively few individuals, it is important to know the variation that exists in the production of wastes rather than relying upon mean values that could result in undersizing equipment for a specific crew. On the other hand, because of the costs of orbiting equipment, it is important to design the equipment with a minimum of excess capacity because of the weight that extra capacity represents. A considerable quantity of information that had been independently gathered on waste production was examined in order to obtain estimates of equipment sizing requirements for handling waste loads from crews of 2 to 20 individuals. The recommended design for a crew of 8 should hold 34.5 liters per day (4315 ml/person/day) for urine and stool water and a little more than 1.25 kg per day (154 g/person/day) of human waste solids and sanitary supplies.

Parker, Dick↗
NASA NTRS2022

Scientific Value of Including an Atmospheric Sample as Part of Mars Sample Return (MSR)

The Perseverance rover is meant to collect samples of the martian surface for eventual return to Earth. The headspace gas present over the solid samples within the sample tubes will be of significant scientific interest for what it reveals about the interactions of the solid samples with the trapped atmosphere and for what it will reveal about the martian atmosphere itself. However, establishing the composition of the martian atmosphere will require other dedicated samples. The headspace gas as the sole atmospheric sample is problematic for many reasons. The quantity of gas present within the sample tube volume is insufficient for many investigations, and there will be exchange between solid samples, headspace gas, and tube walls. Importantly, the sample tube materials and preparation were not designed for optimal Mars atmospheric gas collection and storage as they were not sent to Mars in a degassed evacuated state and have been exposed to both Earth's and Mars' atmospheres. Additionally, there is a risk of unconstrained seal leakage in transit back to Earth, which would allow fractionation of the sample (leak-out) and contamination (leak-in). The science return can be improved significantly (and, in some cases, dramatically) by adding one or more of several strategies listed here in increasing order of effectiveness and difficulty of implementation: (1) Having Perseverance collect a gas sample in an empty sample tube, (2) Collecting gas in a newly-designed, valved, sample-tube-sized vessel that is flown on either the Sample Fetch Rover (SFR) or the Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL), (3) Adding a larger (50-100 cc) dedicated gas sampling volume to the Orbiting Sample container (OS), (4) Adding a larger (50-100 cc) dedicated gas sampling volume to the OS that can be filled with compressed martian atmosphere.

Timothy D. Swindle↗
NASA NTRS1981

Mineralogical, optical, geochemical, and particle size properties of four sediment samples for optical physics research

X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy were used to investigate the mineralogical and chemical properties of the Calvert, Ball Old Mine, Ball Martin, and Jordan Sediments. The particle size distribution and index of refraction of each sample were determined. The samples are composed primarily of quartz, kaolinite, and illite. The clay minerals are most abundant in the finer particle size fractions. The chemical properties of the four samples are similar. The Calvert sample is most notably different in that it contains a relatively high amount of iron. The dominant particle size fraction in each sample is silt, with lesser amounts of clay and sand. The indices of refraction of the sediments are the same with the exception of the Calvert sample which has a slightly higher value.

Bice, K.↗