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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 433 records · Page 24

A Novel Bone Marrow Single Cell Atlas of Mechanotransduction in Microgravity, Normal Gravity, Exercise, and Hindlimb Unloading for WT and CDKN1A-Null Regenerative Mice

Mechanical loading of adult stem cell progenitors is a key factor in modulating their proliferation, differentiation, and tissue regenerative potential, with loading generally promoting tissue formation and unloading mediating tissue loss. To address the role of mechanotransduction in maintaining stem cell-based tissue regenerative health, we generated a single cell transcriptomic atlas mapping responses of femur bone marrow mesenchymal and hematopoietic lineages to a range of altered mechanical loading conditions, both in WT B1629SF2/J mice as well as the p21/CDKN1A-null regenerative mice. We selected the femur marrow compartment as a model because of the diversity and high numbers of stem cell progenitor stages present, and because it undergoes static and cyclic hydrostatic pressure loading associated with weight-bearing and ambulation. Our study included normally loaded mice at 1g, unloading in microgravity during spaceflight as well as tail suspension hindlimb unloading, and voluntary running wheel exercise. Basal, one-year natural aging, and habitat controls were also conducted. Overall, the atlas encompasses 18 different experimental conditions with N=3 mice per condition and includes more than 500,000 single cell expressomes. Key specific findings include: increased mature reticulocyte populations in aging and unloading mice compared to active mice; greater hematopoietic and mesenchymal differentiating progenitors cluster identification in CDKN1A-null samples, especially the exercise model; distinct pseudotime cell trajectory shifts in the hematopoietic lineage for spaceflight and unloaded mice; and shifts in monocytic cell populations toward osteoclastic bone degenerative lineages in unloading and spaceflight samples. Overall mechanical loading shows increased marrow progenitor population differentiation while unloading is associated with increased CDKN1A expression and maintenance of marrow population stemness. Deletion of CDKN1A appears to remove a negative check on progenitor lineages commitment to differentiation. Finally, the Bone Marrow Mechanotransduction Single Cell Atlas will serve as a reference tool for studying marrow regenerative responses across a range of mechanical environments as they relate to CDKN1A status.

single-cell↗

Hydrogen Production Cost from Proton-Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis

Rigorous stakeholder-vetted techno-economic analysis (TEA) was conducted to estimate the cost of hydrogen (H 2 ) production using Proton-Conducting Solid Oxide (PSO) electrolysis. The analysis evaluates Current (2025) and Future (2035) technology cases at centralized plant scales of 50 and 500 metric tonnes per day (MTD), assuming electricity, water, and air as the only system inputs. Untaxed, unsubsidized levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is projected to range from 2020 $\$$1.81 to $\$$2.47/kg H 2 at an electricity price of $\$$0.03/kWh and 97% capacity factor under Nth-of-a-kind (NOAK) deployment assumptions. Total installed capital cost was developed using bottom-up Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) stack cost modeling and detailed balance-of-plant estimates, including mechanical and electrical subsystems, installation, site preparation, engineering, and contingency. Stack performance assumptions include thermoneutral operation, degradation over time, and periodic replacement. LCOH was calculated using the Hydrogen Analysis (H2A) discounted cash flow model in constant 2020 dollars. Results indicate PSO electrolysis has potential for competitive hydrogen production costs under low-cost electricity and mature manufacturing conditions.

08 HYDROGEN↗

State of the art in adaptive control of robotic systems

An up-to-date assessment of adaptive control technology as applied to robotics is presented. Although the field is relatively new and does not yet represent a mature discipline, considerable attention for the design of sophisticated robot controllers has occured. In this presentation, adaptive control methods are divided into model reference adaptive systems and self-tuning regulators, with further definition of various approaches given in each class. The similarity and distinct features of the designed controllers are delineated and tabulated to enhance comparative review.

Tosunoglu, Sabri↗

Integrated System Health Management: Foundational Concepts, Approach, and Implementation

Implementation of integrated system health management (ISHM) capability is fundamentally linked to the management of data, information, and knowledge (DIaK) with the purposeful objective of determining the health of a system. It is akin to having a team of experts who are all individually and collectively observing and analyzing a complex system, and communicating effectively with each other in order to arrive to an accurate and reliable assessment of its health. This paper presents concepts, procedures, and a specific approach as a foundation for implementing a credible ISHM capability. The capability stresses integration of DIaK from all elements of a subsystem. The intent is also to make possible implementation of on-board ISHM capability, in contrast to a remote capability. The information presented is the result of many years of research, development, and maturation of technologies, and of prototype implementations in operational systems (rocket engine test facilities). The paper will address the following topics: ISHM Model of a system; detection of anomaly indicators; determination and confirmation of anomalies; diagnostic of causes and determination of effects; consistency checking cycle; sharing of health information; sharing of display information; storage and retrieval of health information; and example implementation.

Figueroa, Fernando↗

Atmospheric Constituents in GEOS-5: Components for an Earth System Model

The GEOS-S model is being developed for weather and climate processes, including the implementation of "Earth System" components. While the stratospheric chemistry capabilities are mature, we are presently extending this to include predictions of the tropospheric composition and chemistry - this includes CO2, CH4, CO, nitrogen species, etc. (Aerosols are also implemented, but are beyond the scope of this paper.) This work will give an overview of our chemistry modules, the approaches taken to represent surface emissions and uptake of chemical species, and some studies of the sensitivity of the atmospheric circulation to changes in atmospheric composition. Results are obtained through focused experiments and multi-decadal simulations.

Pawson, Steven↗

LMI Automated Air Cargo Operations Market Research and Forecast

Air cargo companies and aircraft manufacturers are making significant investments to enable the movement of cargo via various levels of automated aircraft, such as aircraft with simplified operations requiring a pilot, remotely monitored or piloted aircraft, and fully autonomous aircraft. These investments will enable greater utilization of aircraft while unlocking new air markets traditionally served by ground transportation only. Many cargo companies and aerospace experts envision an operating environment where a single pilot can remotely pilot numerous aircraft for significant increases in aircraft utilization. The future operating environment is also expected to include air cargo companies flying smaller aircraft from airports and distribution centers outside of major U.S. cities directly to city centers, avoiding congested roads and increasing the velocity of cargo shipments, particularly those that are high-value, time-sensitive, and security sensitive (e.g., pharmaceuticals). These are just a few benefits and use cases cargo companies and aerospace experts see with the advancement of automated aircraft. To better understand industry’s direction, NASA asked the LMI team to research the forecasted market, timeline, risks, and opportunities for integrating unmanned air cargo vehicles into the National Airspace System (NAS) for the development and prioritization of the NASA Air Traffic Management Exploration’s research portfolio. To begin the market assessment, we gathered data via numerous interviews with key stakeholders and subject matter experts and literature reviews. We then incorporated the data into a custom-developed systems dynamics model and visualization dashboard. The systems dynamics model classifies the size of the market (e.g., overall fleet size of automated aircraft) for four distinct use cases over the next 20 years. The model projects the year in which various types of automated aircraft will enter the commercial cargo market based on our team’s collective research on when the aircraft will become viable due to manufacturing and certification timelines and the lifespan of current, traditional aircraft in service, to name a few factors. While this report defines our team’s estimated timeline of entry and growth, the model is dynamic—it enables NASA users to change variables based on future-year events. If the necessary technology does not mature in accordance with our assumptions, then NASA can change the entry of service point to a future year to evaluate the changes in market size in the out years. This flexibility will be key to deciding when and how NASA should invest in various areas.

air traffic management↗

NASA’s Developments in Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology

NASA has been pursuing the development and demonstration of enabling and enhancing technologies for Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) in collaboration with the US industry. NASA’s vision for current and future space exploration requires high-performance chemical and nuclear propulsion solutions that utilize cryogens. The Agency will use cryogenic fluids for Earth-to-orbit transportation, human missions to the Moon and Mars, planetary exploration, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) production. All these architectures will require state-of-the-art long-duration storage on the surface and in-space transfer for refueling. This paper focuses on key CFM technology developments completed or ongoing by the Cryogenic Fluid Management Portfolio Office within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The CFM Portfolio Office, partnered with US aerospace industry, has invested in CFM technology ground and flight demonstrations, focused on maturing CFM hardware and operations for Artemis and Moon to Mars activities. These demonstrations additionally provide NASA with data to inform numerical modeling activities for verification and validation of design tools and approaches for future missions. This paper includes discussion on remaining high-priority open CFM technology gaps for Mar-forward architectures and initiatives for closure.

Cryogenic Fluid Management↗

Practical challenges of model predictive control (MPC) for grid interactive small and medium commercial buildings

To the urgent call for mitigating climate change, substantial initiatives have been undertaken to deploy grid-interactive heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) controls, such as model predictive control (MPC) for buildings. These efforts typically aim to curtail peak energy demand, shift load and enhance overall energy efficiency. With the recent development of low-cost MPC technologies that don’t require extensive instrumentation or manual modeling, small and medium commercial buildings (SMCBs), which rarely utilize advanced HVAC control systems, have become candidates for grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs). However, despite the potential benefits and maturity of the technology itself, several practical challenges remain in real-world implementation. In this paper, we share the practical challenges that we have encountered in implementing and testing three types of MPC solutions (ON/OFF unit, dualfuel, and VRF systems) on multiple SMCB sites. We describe the MPC deployment process and discuss the lessons learned. The site selection, eligibility, and retrofit availability (e.g., utility price structure, thermostat communications, etc.) are the main discussion points at the beginning of the project. Also, the modeling automation and the best practices for interacting with endusers and handling erroneous situations are presented for successful operations.

woo Ham, Sang↗

Assurance of Model-Based Fault Diagnosis

Autonomy is an increasingly important technology for robotic scientific and commercial spacecraft. An important motivation for developing onboard autonomy is to enable quick response to dynamic environment and situations, including fault conditions that a spacecraft may encounter. The reliability of such autonomous capabilities depends on the quality of their knowledge of a spacecraft’s health state. Model-based approaches to fault management, i.e. model-based fault diagnosis (MBFD), is one approach to continuously verify correct behavior in addition to diagnosing symptoms to estimate the spacecraft’s health state. The proper functioning of MBFD is dependent on 1) the quality of the model that is analyzed and compared to the outputs of onboard sensors to estimate the system’s health state, and 2) the correct functioning of the diagnosis engine that interrogates the model and compares its analysis to observed system behavior. We are currently developing Verification and Validation (V&V) approaches to provide the necessary confidence that MBFD systems are correctly estimating the health of on-board spacecraft components and systems. Our work is intended to narrow the gap between the rapidly maturing field of ModelBased System Engineering (including MBFD) and the less-well understood area of identifying and applying appropriate V&V techniques to MBFD. Our effort is investigating three areas: 1) developing V&V techniques for the diagnostic model, 2) developing V&V techniques for the diagnostic engine in isolation, and 3) developing V&V techniques for the diagnostic engine and model in combination. This paper describes the work we have completed in the first area. We describe our approach to selecting a system to be represented by a model, the approach to modeling the system, the verification approach we developed for the model, and the results of the verification activity. We conclude with a description of the work remaining in the last two areas, which will be addressed over the next two years.

Chung, Seung↗

Development of a large scale Chimera grid system for the Space Shuttle Launch Vehicle

The application of CFD techniques to large problems has dictated the need for large team efforts. This paper offers an opportunity to examine the motivations, goals, needs, problems, as well as the methods, tools, and constraints that defined NASA's development of a 111 grid/16 million point grid system model for the Space Shuttle Launch Vehicle. The Chimera approach used for domain decomposition encouraged separation of the complex geometry into several major components each of which was modeled by an autonomous team. ICEM-CFD, a CAD based grid generation package, simplified the geometry and grid topology definition by provoding mature CAD tools and patch independent meshing. The resulting grid system has, on average, a four inch resolution along the surface.

Pearce, Daniel G.↗

Protection against UV and X-ray cataracts using dynamic light scattering

Static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS) analysis was used to investigate the aggregation of lens proteins in a hyperbaric oxygen (HBO)/guinea pig in vivo model for nuclear cataract. Nuclear cataract, an opacity which occurs in the center of the lens, is a major type of human maturity-onset cataract for which the cause is not well-understood. HBO is commonly used in major hospitals for treating complications such as poor wound healing due to impaired blood circulation. It is known that treatment of human patients with HBO for extended periods of time can produce nuclear cataract. Guinea pigs, initially 18 months old, were treated with HBO (2.5 atm of 100% O2 for 2.5 hr) 3x per week for 7 months to increase tie level of lens nuclear light scattering. Age-matched animals were used for controls. The eyes of the animals were analyzed in vivo using an integrated static and DLS fiber optic probe in collaboration with the NASA group. DLS in vivo was used to measure the size of lens proteins at 50 different locations across the optical axis of the guinea pig lens.

Giblin, Frank J.↗

Convergent Aeronautics Solutions Project

NASA is committed to transforming our aviation system to best meet demands and opportunities of the future. With a vision of safe, efficient, flexible, and environmentally sustainable air transportation, the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is conducting research and development to address future needs of the aviation community, the Nation, and the world. While our NASA Aeronautics vision and strategy reaches into the next 25 years and beyond, we recognize that our vision and strategy must be responsive to new discoveries and emerging markets. For this reason, we are empowering our research community to redefine the future of aviation by dreaming up convergent/transformative ideas and studying if those ideas are possible. By modeling the new NASA Aeronautics' Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) Project after the venture capital community, we created opportunities for teams of intrapreneurs to mature their ideas into concepts through rapid feasibility studies. The CAS Project expects teams to consider the complexities and potential benefits of multi-disciplinary solutions and to leverage technology advances from outside the field of aeronautics. We also expect teams to explore their concepts in a rapid, iterative manner that allows them to learn and adjust their research approach. Within a year or two, teams are responsible for reporting on the feasibility of their concept. The findings inform NASA Aeronautics strategic planning and further investment. This presentation will give an overview of CAS.

Transformative↗

Aerosciences Implications for Uranus Aerocapture

Exploration of Uranus has been indicated as the highest priority new flagship planetary science missions for NASA in the 2022 Decadal Survey. Due to Uranus’ location as the second furthest planet from the Sun, interplanetary flight times of a traditional propulsive-capture orbiter can expect to take 13-15 years to reach Uranus while requiring up to two-thirds of the launch mass budget to be allocated to propellant alone. Aerocapture presents an alternative means to capture orbit around Uranus by using aerodynamic forces generated from flight through the planetary atmosphere to decelerate to orbital insertion while reducing time in interplanetary transit time and increasing on-orbit payload mass. To date, only one spacecraft (Voyager 2) has visited Uranus, and there have been no missions which have entered its atmosphere. While knowledge of planetary entry at rocky terrestrial planets with Air (N2/O2) and CO2 dominated atmospheres has greatly advanced over the past decades with a variety of missions to learn from, the H2/He composition and much larger atmosphere of ice giants such as Uranus poses new aerosciences implications which are not fully understood. These implications must be better understood not only for aerocapture, but for planetary entry at Uranus as a whole (such as a Uranus probe, as proposed by the 2022 Decadal Survey), as well as other ice giants like Neptune. To conduct a proper analysis of aerocapture methods, aerodynamic and aerothermal analysis of flight trajectories in Uranus atmosphere are required. Previous work has investigated aerocapture at Neptune (with similar atmosphere to Uranus) using a Mid-L/D configuration. Additional previous work considers the convective heating experienced in H2/He atmospheres. The current work looks to use heritage Low-L/D configurations, adding technical depth and maturation to analysis previously performed by Girija. Atmospheric flight at ice giants presents unique challenges, including but not limited to: fidelity of atmospheric models, large entry velocities due to location in the solar system, extended flight in rarefied flow conditions due to atmospheric scale, and unusual aerodynamic flow properties specific to Uranus and Ice Giant atmospheres.

Eli Shellabarger↗

Process-Based Cost Estimation for Ramjet/Scramjet Engines

Process-based cost estimation plays a key role in effecting cultural change that integrates distributed science, technology and engineering teams to rapidly create innovative and affordable products. Working together, NASA Glenn Research Center and Boeing Canoga Park have developed a methodology of process-based cost estimation bridging the methodologies of high-level parametric models and detailed bottoms-up estimation. The NASA GRC/Boeing CP process-based cost model provides a probabilistic structure of layered cost drivers. High-level inputs characterize mission requirements, system performance, and relevant economic factors. Design alternatives are extracted from a standard, product-specific work breakdown structure to pre-load lower-level cost driver inputs and generate the cost-risk analysis. As product design progresses and matures the lower level more detailed cost drivers can be re-accessed and the projected variation of input values narrowed, thereby generating a progressively more accurate estimate of cost-risk. Incorporated into the process-based cost model are techniques for decision analysis, specifically, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and functional utility analysis. Design alternatives may then be evaluated not just on cost-risk, but also user defined performance and schedule criteria. This implementation of full-trade study support contributes significantly to the realization of the integrated development environment. The process-based cost estimation model generates development and manufacturing cost estimates. The development team plans to expand the manufacturing process base from approximately 80 manufacturing processes to over 250 processes. Operation and support cost modeling is also envisioned. Process-based estimation considers the materials, resources, and processes in establishing cost-risk and rather depending on weight as an input, actually estimates weight along with cost and schedule.

Singh, Brijendra↗

The International Heat Stress Genotype Experiment for Modeling Wheat Response to Heat: Field Experiments and AgMIP-Wheat Multi-Model Simulations

The data set contains a portion of the International Heat Stress Genotype Experiment (IHSGE) data used in the AgMIP-Wheat project to analyze the uncertainty of 30 wheat crop models and quantify the impact of heat on global wheat yield productivity. It includes two spring wheat cultivars grown during two consecutive winter cropping cycles at hot, irrigated, and low latitude sites in Mexico (Ciudad Obregon and Tlaltizapan), Egypt (Aswan), India (Dharwar), the Sudan (Wad Medani), and Bangladesh (Dinajpur). Experiments in Mexico included normal (November-December) and late (January-March) sowing dates. Data include local daily weather data, soil characteristics and initial soil conditions, crop measurements (anthesis and maturity dates, anthesis and final total above ground biomass, final grain yields and yields components), and cultivar information. Simulations include both daily in-season and end-of-season results from 30 wheat models.

Wheat; Field Experimental Data; Heat Stress; Simul↗

Wind Tunnel Model Design for Sonic Boom Studies of Nozzle Jet Flows with Shock Interactions

NASA and the U.S. aerospace industry are performing studies of supersonic aircraft concepts with low sonic boom pressure signatures. The computational analyses of modern aircraft designs have matured to the point where there is confidence in the prediction of the pressure signature from the front of the vehicle, but uncertainty remains in the aft signatures due to boundary layer and nozzle exhaust jet effects. Wind tunnel testing without inlet and nozzle exhaust jet effects at lower Reynolds numbers than in-flight make it difficult to accurately assess the computational solutions of flight vehicles. A wind tunnel test in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel is planned for February 2016 to address the nozzle jet effects on sonic boom. The experiment will provide pressure signatures of test articles that replicate waveforms from aircraft wings, tails, and aft fuselage (deck) components after passing through cold nozzle jet plumes. The data will provide a variety of nozzle plume and shock interactions for comparison with computational results. A large number of high-fidelity numerical simulations of a variety of shock generators were evaluated to define a reduced collection of suitable test models. The computational results of the candidate wind tunnel test models as they evolved are summarized, and pre-test computations of the final designs are provided.

Wind Tunnel↗

Reduced-Order Aerodynamic Modeling Based on CFD Frequency Responses from Multisine Inputs

A system identification analysis was performed to determine reduced-order models of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver for linear aeroelastic analysis and control design. The application was to the FUN3D code and the flexible half-span wind tunnel test article, in transonic flow conditions, used in the NASA-Boeing collaboration called the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation (IAWTM) project. Multiple inputs (structural mode displacements and control surface deflections) were simultaneously excited with orthogonal phase-optimized multisines and multiple outputs (generalized aerodynamic forces) were recorded, from which the matrix of frequency responses were computed using a single CFD run. A state-space model was then fit to the frequency response data using a maximum-likelihood estimator.

System identification↗

A lunar soil evolution model

Comminution, agglutination, and replenishment processes in a lunar soil are modeled by a system of time-dependent linear differential equations. In the model, a soil is subdivided into coarse-particle, fine-particle, and agglutinate fractions. The relative mass abundance of each component in a mature soil is found to be proportional to rates for the reworking processes. Evolution of the grain-size distribution from a fresh ejecta blanket to a mature soil is described quantitatively in terms of the changing proportions of the three soil constituents. If size data are available for an immature soil and a mature soil of the same system, rates for the various processes can be calculated under certain simplifying assumptions.

Mendell, W. W.↗