Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Sample Collection”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1971

Determination of Phenols and Trimethylamine in Industrial Effluents

For regulatory purposes to control certain odorous compounds the analysis of phenols and trimethylamines in industrial effluents is necessary. The Bay Area Air Pollution Control District laboratory has been determining these gases by gas chromatographic techniques. The procedures for sample collection, preparation for analysis and determination are described in detail. Typical data from various sources showing the effect of proposed regulations is shown. Extensive sampling and usage of these procedures has shown them to be accurate, reliable and suitable to all types of source effluents.

Levaggi, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Comparison of Two Methods for Estimating the Sampling-Related Uncertainty of Satellite Rainfall Averages Based on a Large Radar Data Set

The uncertainty of rainfall estimated from averages of discrete samples collected by a satellite is assessed using a multi-year radar data set covering a large portion of the United States. The sampling-related uncertainty of rainfall estimates is evaluated for all combinations of 100 km, 200 km, and 500 km space domains, 1 day, 5 day, and 30 day rainfall accumulations, and regular sampling time intervals of 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 12 h. These extensive analyses are combined to characterize the sampling uncertainty as a function of space and time domain, sampling frequency, and rainfall characteristics by means of a simple scaling law. Moreover, it is shown that both parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques of estimating the sampling uncertainty produce comparable results. Sampling uncertainty estimates, however, do depend on the choice of technique for obtaining them. They can also vary considerably from case to case, reflecting the great variability of natural rainfall, and should therefore be expressed in probabilistic terms. Rainfall calibration errors are shown to affect comparison of results obtained by studies based on data from different climate regions and/or observation platforms.

Lau, William K. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Mud Volcanoes - Analogs to Martian Cones and Domes (by the Thousands!)

Mud volcanoes are mounds formed by low temperature slurries of gas, liquid, sediments and rock that erupt to the surface from depths of meters to kilometers. They are common on Earth, with estimates of thousands onshore and tens of thousands offshore. Mud volcanoes occur in basins with rapidly-deposited accumulations of fine-grained sediments. Such settings are ideal for concentration and preservation of organic materials, and mud volcanoes typically occur in sedimentary basins that are rich in organic biosignatures. Domes and cones, cited as possible mud volcanoes by previous authors, are common on the northern plains of Mars. Our analysis of selected regions in southern Acidalia Planitia has revealed over 18,000 such features, and we estimate that more than 40,000 occur across the area. These domes and cones strongly resemble terrestrial mud volcanoes in size, shape, morphology, associated flow structures and geologic setting. Geologic and mineralogic arguments rule out alternative formation mechanisms involving lava, ice and impacts. We are studying terrestrial mud volcanoes from onshore and submarine locations. The largest concentration of onshore features is in Azerbaijan, near the western edge of the Caspian Sea. These features are typically hundreds of meters to several kilometers in diameter, and tens to hundreds of meters in height. Satellite images show spatial densities of 20 to 40 eruptive centers per 1000 square km. Many of the features remain active, and fresh mud flows as long as several kilometers are common. A large field of submarine mud volcanoes is located in the Gulf of Cadiz, off the Atlantic coasts of Morocco and Spain. High-resolution sonar bathymetry reveals numerous km-scale mud volcanoes, hundreds of meters in height. Seismic profiles demonstrate that the mud erupts from depths of several hundred meters. These submarine mud volcanoes are the closest morphologic analogs yet found to the features in Acidalia Planitia. We are also conducting laboratory analyses of surface samples collected from mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan, Taiwan and Japan. X-ray diffraction, visible / near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy show that the samples are dominated by mixed-layer smectite clays, along with quartz, calcite and pyrite. Thin section analysis by optical and scanning electron microscopy confirms the mineral identifications. These samples also contain chemical and morphological biosignatures, including common microfossils, with evidence of partial replacement by pyrite. The bulk samples contain approximately 1 wt% total organic carbon and 0.4 mg / gm volatile hydrocarbons. The thousands of features in Acidalia Planitia cited as analogous to terrestrial mud volcanoes clearly represent an important element in the sedimentary record of Mars. Their location, in the distal depocenter for massive Hesperian-age floods, suggests that they contain fine-grained sediments from a large catchment area in the martian highlands. We have proposed these features as a new class of exploration target that can provide access to minimally-altered material from significant depth. By analogy to terrestrial mud volcanoes, these features may also be excellent sites for the sampling martian organics and subsurface microbial life, if such exist or ever existed.

Allen, Carlton C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Hydrogen and carbon isotopic composition of volatiles in Nakhla: Implications for weathering on Mars

Gases were collected at 120, 200, 300, 415, and 600 and 850 C. Hydrogen yields for the 600 and 850 C aliquots were measured separately and then the gases were combined for isotopic analysis. CO2 samples collected at the two lowest temperature steps amounted to less than 0.5 mu mole and were not analyzed isotopically. Excluding the 120 C temperature step, the bulk delta D of the sample was + 187 percent. Delta D values increase from -91 percent in the 120 C step to +518 percent in the 315 to 850 C step. The hydrogen content is greatest in the 120 C step and is roughly constant in the 200, 300, and 415 C aliquots. Between 415 C and 850 C, the yield drops off considerably. From 850 C to 950 C, virtually no H2 and only minor CO2 (less than 1 mu mole) were extracted. Using the isotopic analysis from the 300, 415, 600, and 850 C temperature collections, the bulk delta C-13 sub (PDB) is 0.0 percent. The heaviest component (delta C-13 sub (PDB) of +29 percent) was collected between 300 and 415 C. The release of hydrogen at the low temperatures reported here is consistent with the breakdown of the phases that constitute the alteration product between approx. 250 and 650 C. Although not as high as the present Martian atmosphere, the high delta D values are consistent with a Martian origin for the meteorites in question.

Watson, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Ion chromatographic determination of anions collected on filters at altitudes between 9.6 and 13.7 kilometers

The investigation of atmospheric pollution to determine the anion-containing particulates in the atmosphere at altitudes between 9.6 and 13.7 km is discussed. Air samples collected on cellulose fiber discs impregnated with dibutoxyethylphthalate require very sensitive methods of analysis. It is concluded that ion chromatography is suited for the determination of anions collected on the filters. Methods to control contamination and interfering side reactions are described.

Otterson, D. A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detecting 127 Xe in an atmospheric tracer experiment

The Xcounts algorithm for calculating air concentrations of radioactive xenon isotopes (Eslinger et al., 2023) has been extended to estimate 127 Xe in addition to 131m Xe, 133m Xe, 133 Xe, and 135 Xe. The algorithm was applied to 119 samples collected with a SAUNA Q B system (Ringbom et al., 2023) during a two-month atmospheric tracer release experiment. Finally, the algorithm identified two samples with 127 Xe present from a single 1.5 h release about 3.5 km upwind of the sampler and no false detections of 127 Xe were observed in the other samples.

127Xe calibration↗
DOE OSTI2025

Intrabasin Comparison of the Microbiology and Geochemistry of Produced Fluid From Hydraulically Fractured Wells in the Permian Region

The Permian Basin is the highest producing oil reservoir in the United States. Hydrocarbon extraction methods in this region are often associated with frac hits, or interwell communication events where an established well is affected by the pumping of fracture fluid into a new well. Our previous work revealed a geochemical signal indicating the presence of frac hits in the Permian Basin. We returned to this area with the goal of expanding our understanding of subsurface interactions common in this region. To do so, we collected produced water from 25 unique sites across the Permian Basin, 10 of which had previously been characterized during an active frac hit. For each sample, we measured the pH, alkalinity, geochemistry, microbial load, and microbial community composition. Permian Basin produced water is characterized by higher sulfate and lower total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations compared to other regions. Interestingly, wells impacted by frac hits have a geochemical profile that resembles that of fracture fluid, with both lowered sulfate and lowered TDS concentrations compared to unaffected wells. Due to the year-long recovery window between sample collection periods, we anticipate that all our data will be characterized by the typical high sulfate, low TDS concentrations.

geochemistry↗
NASA NTRS1987

C-13/C-12 ratio in methane from the flooded Amazon forest

The C1-C4 hydrocarbon concentrations and the C-13/C-12 ratio in CH4 detected in air samples collected in the Amazon region (3.5 deg S latitude and 5.9 deg W longitude) are analyzed. It is observed that the CH4 concentrations of each sample are enhanced over the background concentration for remote locations, and the C-13/C-12 ratio in this biogenic methane is depleted in C-13 relative to atmospheric CH4. It is concluded, from the C2-C4 hydrocarbon data, that minor yields of C2-C4 hyrocarbons are released coincident with CH4; however, the minor yields do not contribute to the regionally enhanced concentrations of hydrocarbons found in Amazonia and the global atmosphere release of C2-C4 compounds.

Tyler, Stanley C.↗
NASA NTRS2006

The Dos and Don'ts of how to Build a Planet, Using the Moon as an Example

The bulk chemical compositions of planets may yield important clues concerning planetary origins. Failing that, bulk compositions are still important, in that they constrain calculation of planetary mineralogies and also constrain the petrogenesis of basaltic magmas. In the case of the Earth, there is little or no debate about the composition of the Earth's upper mantle. This is because our sample collections contain peridotitic xenoliths of that mantle. The most fertile of these are believed to have been little modified from their primary compositions. Using these samples and chondritic meteorites as a starting point, small perturbations on the compositions of existing samples allow useful reconstruction of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE). Elsewhere, I have argued that the next simplest case is the Eucrite Parent Body (EPB). Reconstructions based on Sc partitioning indicate that the EPB can be well approximated by a mixture of 20% eucrite and 80% equilibrium olivine. This leads to a parent body that is similar to CO (or devolatilized CM) chondrites. Partial melting experiments on CM chondrites confirm this model, because the residual solids in these experiments are dominated by olivine with minor pigonite [3]. The most difficult bodies to reconstruct are those that have undergone the most differentiation. Both the Moon and Mars may have passed through a magma ocean stage. In any event, lunar and martian basalts, unlike eucrites, were not derived from undifferentiated source regions. Reconstructions are primarily based on compositional trends within the basalts themselves with some critical assumptions: (i) Refractory lithophile elements (Ca, Al, REE, actinides) are presumed to be in chondritic relative abundances; and (ii) some major element ratio is believed to exist in a chondritic ratio (e.g., Mg/Si, Mg/Al). The most commonly used parameter is Mg/Si.

Jones, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ)

The NOAA/NASA Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) experiment was a multi-agency, inter-disciplinary research effort to: (a) obtain detailed measurements of trace gas and aerosol emissions from wildfires and prescribed fires using aircraft, satellites and ground-based instruments, (b) make extensive suborbital remote sensing measurements of fire dynamics, (c) assess local, regional, and global modeling of fires, and (d) strengthen connections to observables on the ground such as fuels and fuel consumption and satellite products such as burned area and fire radiative power. From Boise, ID western wildfires were studied with the NASA DC-8 and two NOAA Twin Otter aircraft. The high-altitude NASA ER-2 was deployed from Palmdale, CA to observe some of these fires in conjunction with satellite overpasses and the other aircraft. Further research was conducted on three mobile laboratories and ground sites, and 17 different modeling forecast and analyses products for fire, fuels and air quality and climate implications. From Salina, KS the DC-8 investigated 87 smaller fires in the Southeast with remote and in-situ data collection. Sampling by all platforms was designed to measure emissions of trace gases and aerosols with multiple transects to capture the chemical transformation of these emissions and perform remote sensing observations of fire and smoke plumes under day and night conditions. The emissions were linked to fuels consumed and fire radiative power using orbital and suborbital remote sensing observations collected during overflights of the fires and smoke plumes and ground sampling of fuels.

Carsten Warneke↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data and scripts associated with “Point-scale organic-matter decomposition in streambeds is weakly associated with reach-scale respiration”

This data package is associated with “Point-scale organic-matter decomposition in streambeds is weakly associated with reach-scale respiration” published in EGU Biogeosciences (Stegen et al., 2026; https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3981-2026). It contains cotton strip decomposition rates (Kcd and Kdd) collected across the Yakima River Basin (YRB), Washington, USA. These data were collected to support a broader study examining the drivers of spatial variability in sediment respiration rates in the Yakima River Basin. Associated data used in analysis, metadata, and field protocols can be accessed at https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/datasets/doi:10.15485/1923689, https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/datasets/doi:10.15485/1969566, and https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/datasets/doi:10.15485/1987520. This data package is associated with the repository found at https://github.com/river-corridors-sfa/rcsfa-ST-2B-SSS-cotton-strip. A preliminary version of this data package was published in December 2025 at the time of manuscript submission. It was updated in June 2026, at the time of manuscript acceptance, to include additional metadata (this readme, data dictionary, and file level metadata). The data did not change. For details on how to navigate data packages generated by this project, see https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/portals/PNNLRiverCorridorSFA/About. In addition to a readme, this data package also includes a file-level metadata (FLMD) file that describes each file and a data dictionary (DD) that describes all column/row headers and variable definitions. This data package consists of (1) readme; (2) data dictionary (dd); (3) file level metadata (flmd); and (4) four folders: (1) R-scripts; (2) figures; (3) outputs from the scripts; and (4) published data. The published data folder contains a readme directing the user to download data in order to run the R-scripts. All files are .csv, .pdf, .R, .Rmd, and .txt. We acknowledge the Yakama Nation as owners and caretakers of the lands where we collected these data. We thank the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council and Yakama Nation Fisheries for working with us to facilitate sample collection and optimization of data usage according to their values and worldview.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2011

Oxygen and Magnesium Isotopic Compositions of Asteroidal Materials Returned from Itokawa by the Hayabusa Mission

The Hayabusa spacecraft made two touchdowns on the surface of Asteroid 25143 Itokawa on November 20th and 26th, 2005. The Asteroid 25143 Itokawa is classified as an S-type asteroid and inferred to consist of materials similar to ordinary chondrites or primitive achondrites [1]. Near-infrared spectroscopy by the Hayabusa spacecraft proposed that the surface of this body has an olivine-rich mineral assemblage potentially similar to that of LL5 or LL6 chondrites with different degrees of space weathering [2]. The spacecraft made the reentry into the Earth s atmosphere on June 12th, 2010 and the sample capsule was successfully recovered in Australia on June 13th, 2010. Although the sample collection processes on the Itokawa surface had not been made by the designed operations, more than 1,500 grains were identified as rocky particles in the sample curation facility of JAXA, and most of them were judged to be of extraterrestrial origin, and definitely from Asteroid Itokawa on November 17th, 2010 [3]. Although their sizes are mostly less than 10 microns, some larger grains of about 100 microns or larger were also included. The mineral assembly is olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, iron sulfide and iron metal. The mean mineral compositions are consistent with the results of near-infrared spectroscopy from Hayabusa spacecraft [2], but the variations suggest that the petrologic type may be smaller than the spectroscopic results. Several tens of grains of relatively large sizes among the 1,500 grains will be selected by the Hayabusa sample curation team for preliminary examination [4]. Each grain will be subjected to one set of preliminary examinations, i.e., micro-tomography, XRD, XRF, TEM, SEM, EPMA and SIMS in this sequence. The preliminary examination will start from the last week of January 2011. Therefore, samples for isotope analyses in this study will start from the last week of February 2011. By the time of the LPSC meeting we will have measured the oxygen and magnesium isotopic composition of several grains. We will present the first results from the isotope analyses that will have been performed.

Yurimoto, H↗
NASA NTRS2000

BOREAS TGB-5 Dissolved Organic Carbon Data from NSA Beaver Ponds

The BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study Trace Gas Biogeochemistry (BOREAS TGB-5) team collected several data sets related to carbon and trace gas fluxes and concentrations in the Northern Study Area (NSA). This data set contains concentrations of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon species from water samples collected at various NSA sites. In particular, this set covers the NSA Tower Beaver Pond Site and the NSA Gillam Road Beaver Pond Site, including data from all visits to open water sampling locations during the BOREAS field campaigns from April to September 1994. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files.

Bourbonniere, Rick↗
NASA NTRS2022

Assessing the Sampleability of Bennu’s Surface for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, collected a sample from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2020 and will deliver it to Earth in September 2023. Selecting a sample collection site on Bennu’s surface was challenging due to the surprising lack of large ponded deposits of regolith particles exclusively fine enough (≤ 2 cm diameter) to be ingested by the spacecraft’s Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM). Here we describe the Sampleability Map of Bennu, which was constructed to aid in the selection of candidate sampling sites and to estimate the probability of collecting sufficient sample. “Sampleability” is a numeric score that expresses the compatibility of a given area’s surface properties with the sampling mechanism. The algorithm that determines sampleability is a best fit functional form to an extensive suite of laboratory testing outcomes tracking the TAGSAM performance as a function of four observable properties of the target asteroid. The algorithm and testing were designed to measure and subsequently predict TAGSAM collection amounts as a function of the minimum particle size, maximum particle size, particle size frequency distribution, and the tilt of the TAGSAM head off the surface. The sampleability algorithm operated at two general scales, consistent with the resolution and coverage of data collected during the mission. The first scale was global and evaluated nearly the full surface. Due to Bennu’s unexpected boulder coverage and lack of ponded regolith deposits, the global sampleability efforts relied heavily on additional strategies to find and characterize regions of interest based on quantifying and avoiding areas heavily covered by material too large to be collected. The second scale was site-specific and used higher-resolution data to predict collected mass at a given contact location. The rigorous sampleability assessments gave the mission confidence to select the best possible sample collection site and directly enabled successful collection of hundreds of grams of material.

Asteroid exploration↗
NASA NTRS1992

Analysis of the dielectric properties of trunk wood in dominant conifer species from New England and Siberia

Data were collected for dominant conifer species. Dielectric properties of trunk wood were measured using a C-band dielectric probe. For certain specimens, electrical resistance was also measured using a shigometer. The water status of the trees studies was determined either by use of a Scholander pressure chamber on branch samples collected simultaneously with dielectric measurements or by fresh-weight/dry-weight assessment of wood core samples extracted and analyzed with the dielectric probe and shigometer. Diurnal delectric properties and xylem water column tension are inversely correlated such that real and imaginary dielectric values drop as tension increases. The dielectric properties were positively correlated with wood core moisture content while electrical resistance was poorly correlated with wood core moisture content in one species studied. Results support the view that dielectric properties are strongly correlated with moisture status in trunk wood, and possibly ion concentrations associated with decay processes in damaged specimens.

Ranson, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Epidemiology of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) and the Disease Ecology of Coccidioides spp. in New Mexico (2006–2023)

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever), caused by Coccidioides spp., is a fungal infection endemic to semi-arid regions of the Americas. Despite 80 years of disease recognition in New Mexico, there is limited disease awareness. We incorporated clinical, epidemiological, and ecological datasets to summarize the knowledge of Valley fever in New Mexico. We analyzed 1541 human cases from 2006 to 2023. On average, 86 cases were reported each year (4.1 cases per 100,000 population per year). The highest levels of incidence were in southwestern New Mexico. American Indian or Alaska Natives in New Mexico had a 1.9 times higher incidence rate of coccidioidomycosis than White people, and among age groups, older populations in New Mexico had the highest incidence rates. We analyzed 300 soil samples near Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the presence of Coccidioides and reported the first known positive soil samples collected from the state, the majority of which were from grassland-dominated sites and from animal burrows. Sequence analyses in clinical specimens, wild animals, and soil samples confirmed that Coccidioides posadasii is the main causative species of coccidioidomycosis in New Mexico. Environmental surveillance validated that locally acquired infections could occur in, but are not limited to, Catron, Doña Ana, Sierra, and Socorro Counties.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2008

Sample Manipulation System for Sample Analysis at Mars

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument will analyze Martian samples collected by the Mars Science Laboratory Rover with a suite of spectrometers. This paper discusses the driving requirements, design, and lessons learned in the development of the Sample Manipulation System (SMS) within SAM. The SMS stores and manipulates 74 sample cups to be used for solid sample pyrolysis experiments. Focus is given to the unique mechanism architecture developed to deliver a high packing density of sample cups in a reliable, fault tolerant manner while minimizing system mass and control complexity. Lessons learned are presented on contamination control, launch restraint mechanisms for fragile sample cups, and mechanism test data.

Mumm, Erik↗