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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 451 records · Page 25

Carbon wastewater treatment process

A new powdered-carbon treatment process is being developed for the elimination of the present problems, associated with the disposal of biologically active sewage waste solids, and with water reuse. This counter-current flow process produces an activated carbon, which is obtained from the pyrolysis of the sewage solids, and utilizes this material to remove the adulterating materials from the water. Additional advantages of the process are the elimination of odors, the removal of heavy metals, and the potential for energy conservation.

Humphrey, M. F.↗

Design and development of a prototype wet oxidation system for the reclamation of water and the disposition of waste residues onboard space vehicles

Laboratory investigations to define optimum process conditions for oxidation of fecal/urine slurries were conducted in a one-liter batch reactor. The results of these tests formed the basis for the design, fabrication, and testing of an initial prototype system, including a 100-hour design verification test. Areas of further development were identified during this test. Development of a high pressure slurry pump, materials corrosion studies, oxygen supply trade studies, comparison of salt removal water recovery devices, ammonia removal investigation, development of a solids grinder, reactor design studies and bearing life tests, and development of shutoff valves and a back pressure regulator were undertaken. The development work has progressed to the point where a prototype system suitable for manned chamber testing can be fabricated and tested with a high degree of confidence of success.

Jagow, R. B.↗

Preliminary results from the Viking orbiter imaging experiment

During its first 30 orbits around Mars, the Viking orbiter took approximately 1000 photographic frames of the surface of Mars with resolutions that ranged from 100 meters to a little more than 1 kilometer. Most were of potential landing sites in Chryse Planitia and Cydonia and near Capri Chasma. Contiguous high-resolution coverage in these areas has led to an increased understanding of surface processes, particularly cratering, fluvial, and mass-wasting phenomena. Most of the surfaces examined appear relatively old, channel features abound, and a variety of features suggestive of permafrost have been identified. The ejecta patterns around large craters imply that fluid flow of ejecta occurred after ballistic deposition. Variable features in the photographed area appear to have changed little since observed 5 years ago from Mariner 9. A variety of atmospheric phenomena were observed, including diffuse morning hazes, both stationary and moving discrete white clouds, and wave clouds covering extensive areas.

Carr, M. H.↗

Improved waste water vapor compression distillation technology

The vapor compression distillation process is a method of recovering potable water from crewman urine in a manned spacecraft or space station. A description is presented of the research and development approach to the solution of the various problems encountered with previous vapor compression distillation units. The design solutions considered are incorporated in the preliminary design of a vapor compression distillation subsystem. The new design concepts are available for integration in the next generation of support systems and, particularly, the regenerative life support evaluation intended for project Spacelab.

Johnson, K. L.↗

Nutritional criteria for closed-loop space food systems

The nutritional requirements for Skylab crews are summarized as a data base for long duration spaceflight nutrient requirements. Statistically significant increases in energy consumption were detected after three months, along with CO2/O2 exhalation during exercise and thyroxine level increases. Linoleic acid amounting to 3-4 g/day was found to fulfill all fat requirements, and carbohydrate and protein (amino acid) necessities are discussed, noting that vigorous exercise programs avoid deconditioning which enhances nitrogen loss. Urinary calcium losses continued at a rate 100% above a baseline figure, a condition which ingestion of vitamin D2 did not correct. Projections are given that spaceflights lasting more than eight years will necessitate recycling of human waste for nutrient growth, which can be processed into highly efficient space food with a variety of tastes.

Rambaut, P. C.↗

Yeasts With Increased Glycogen Levels

Chemical/biological process produces single-cell food from waste carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Used in reactor for producing single-cell food.

Dastoor, M. N.↗

Predicting Aircraft Spray Patterns on Crops

Agricultural Dispersion Prediction (AGDISP) system developed to predict deposition of agricultural material released from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. AGDISP computes ensemble average mean motion resulting from turbulent fluid fluctuations. Used to examine ways of making dispersal process more efficient by insuring uniformity, reducing waste, and saving money. Programs in AGDISP system written in FORTRAN IV for interactive execution.

Teske, M. E.↗

Toxic-Waste Disposal by Combustion in Containers

Chemical wastes burned with minimal handling in storage containers. Technique for disposing of chemical munitions by burning them inside shells applies to disposal of toxic materials stored in drums. Fast, economical procedure overcomes heat-transfer limitations of conventional furnace designs by providing direct contact of oxygenrich combustion gases with toxic agent. No need to handle waste material, and container also decontaminated in process. Oxygen-rich torch flame cuts burster well and causes vaporization and combustion of toxic agent contained in shell.

Houseman, J.↗

Remote Detection of Biological Particles and Chemical Plumes Using UV Fluorescence Lidar

A lidar system based on ultraviolet (UV) laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was developed for the remote detection of atmospherically dispersed biological particles and chemical vapors. This UV fluorescence lidar has many potential applications for monitoring environmental pollution, industrial waste emission, agricultural insect control, illicit chemical processing, and military defense operations. The general goal of this work is to investigate the research issues associated with the long range detection and identification of chemicals, e.g. aromatic solvents and chemical precursors, and biological materials, e.g. bacillus thuringiensis (BT) and bacillus globiggi (BG). In the detection of biological particulates, we are particularly interested in extending the detection range of an existing solar-blind 248-nm lidar system. We are investigating the use of longer excitation laser wavelengths (i.e. lambda greater than 280-nm to have more favorable atmospheric light transmission characteristics) for improving detection range to better than 10 km. In the detection of chemical plumes, our main research objectives are to determine how accurately and sensitively a chemical plume can be located at range, and how well spectrally the chemical species can be measured to allow their identification.

J J Tiee↗

Magellan mission summary

Magellan started mapping the planet Venus on September 15, 1990, and after one cycle (one Venus day or 243 earth days) had mapped 84 percent of the planet's surface. This returned an image data volume greater than all past planetary missions combined. Spacecraft problems were experienced in flight. Changes in operational procedures and reprogramming of onboard computers minimized the amount of mapping data lost. Magellan data processing is the largest planetary image-processing challenge to date. Compilation of global maps of tectonic and volcanic features, as well as impact craters and related phenomena and surface processes related to wind, weathering, and mass wasting, has begun. The Magellan project is now in an extended mission phase, with plans for additional cycles out to 1995. The Magellan project will fill in mapping gaps, obtain a global gravity data set between mid-September 1992 and May 1993, acquire images at different view angles, and look for changes on the surface from one cycle to another caused by surface activity such as volcanism, faulting, or wind activity.

Saunders, R. S.↗

Design of A CVD Reactor for the Deposition of Diamond in A Microgravity Environment

There is a growing body of theoretical and experimental evidence suggesting that the uniformity, rate, adhesion, quality, and other key properties of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond coatings are influenced by the gas mixing kinetics in the thermal plasma environment of the reaction chamber. The implementation of, for example, Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MPECVD) process in microgravity has, thus, been suggested. Such a diamond deposition system, which overcomes the limitations of present systems and which is distiguishable from them by the use of high pressure MPECVD and recirculation of the would be effluent hydrogen and carbon, is described. Given the key fact that there is nothing in the effluent of the MPECVD process that is truly a byproduct or 'waste', the system can, at least in principle, lend itself to being closed loop yet dynamic. The exhaust contains hydrogen and carbon species which can be recirculated to the plasma reactor, that is, since there are no unusable reaction byproducts, the effluent can be fed back to the reaction chamber with no detriment, thus allowing deployment in a microgravity environment.

M L Languell↗

Generic propellant transfer unit: A project update

Currently, most satellite programs use dedicated hypergolic propellant ground servicing equipment. These 'carts' are typically program specific (non-interchangeable), costly, and non-Department of Transportation (DOT) compliant. They require safety waivers when used on government property and must be emptied before off-site transport. The emptying process usually generates large amounts of Hazardous Wastes. Fuel carts are usually loaded from multiple 208-liter (55 gallon) drums and oxidizer carts from 909-kg (2000 lb) cylinders. This further increases operating costs due to additional container samples and cart-filling transfers. NASA, Kennedy Space Center has developed reusable, generic, DOT compliant propellant delivery containers as possible replacements for the propellant-tank portion of servicing carts. Our ultimate goal is to reduce operating expenses by minimizing propellant transfers, samples, and waste generation through use of bulk propellant operations, minimizing drum or cylinder operations. This has the added benefit of increasing operating safety by decreasing overall propellant operations.

Davis, C. L.↗

Callisto: A World in its Own Right

Callisto, once unknown and then disregarded after Voyager, has emerged in the post-Galileo era worthy of the same intense scientific scrutiny that is lavished upon her sisters, playing an essential role in our understanding of the evolution of icy moons, and in a larger sense, the grand tapestry of solar system history. Along with the discovery of Callisto’s conducting, probably fluid sub-surface layer, major Gulileo discoveries about Callisto include the complete absence of cryo-volcanic resurfacing, the relatively undifferentiated interior, and the presence of massive landform erosion from sublimation processes. Callisto’s landscape at decameter scales is unique among the Galilean satellites, and might be most akin to that of cometary nuclei. The process of sublimation degradation, previously underappreciated, is now recognized as a major surface modification process on Callisto. Its role in mass wasting and landslide initiation was elemental in creating the bizarre and astonishing scenery imaged by Galileo.

Jeffrey M. Moore↗

Background contamination by coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in trace level high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) analytical procedures

The addition of the "dioxin-like" polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners to the assessment of risk associated with the 2,3,7,8-chlorine substituted dioxins and furans has dramatically increased the number of laboratories worldwide that are developing analytical procedures for their detection and quantitation. Most of these procedures are based on established sample preparation and analytical techniques employing high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS), which are used for the analyses of dioxin/furans at low parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels. A significant and widespread problem that arises when using these sample preparation procedures for the analysis of coplanar PCBs is the presence of background levels of these congeners. Industrial processes, urban incineration, leaking electrical transformers, hazardous waste accidents, and improper waste disposal practices have released appreciable quantities of PCBs into the environment. This contamination has resulted in the global distribution of these compounds via the atmosphere and their ubiquitous presence in ambient air. The background presence of these compounds in method blanks must be addressed when determining the exact concentrations of these and other congeners in environmental samples. In this study reliable procedures were developed to accurately define these background levels and assess their variability over the course of the study. The background subtraction procedures developed and employed increase the probability that the values reported accurately represent the concentrations found in the samples and were not biased due to this background contamination.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis/metabolism↗

Are the Basins of Tui Regio and Hotei Arcus Sites of Former Titanian Seas?

Features observed in the basins of Tui Regio and Hotei Arcus on Titan have attracted the attention of the Cassini-era investigators. At both locations, VIMS observed discrete 5-micron bright approx.500-km wide features described as lobate in shape. Several studies have proposed that these materials are cryo-volcanic flows; in the case of the Hotei Arcus feature this inference was buttressed with SAR RADAR images showing bright and dark patches with lobate margins. We propose an alternative explanation. First we note that all landforms on Titan that are unambiguously identifiable can be explained by exogenic processes (aeolian, fluvial, impact cratering, and mass wasting). Suggestions of endogenically produced cryovolcanic constructs and flows have, without exception, lacked conclusive diagnostic evidence. Recently published topographic profiles across Tui Regio and the lobate feature region north of Hotei Arcus indicate these features appear to occur in large regional basins, at least along the direction of the profiles. SAR images show that the terrains surrounding both 5-micron bright features exhibit fluvial networks that appear to converge and debauch into the probable basins. The 5-micron bright features themselves correspond to fields of discrete radar-bright depressions whose bounding edges are commonly rounded and cumulate in planform in SAR images. These fields of discrete radar-bright depressions strongly resemble fields of features seen at Titan s high latitudes usually attributed to be dry lakes. Thus the combination of (1) the resemblance to high-latitude dry lakes, (2) location in the centers of probable regional depressions, and (3) convergence of fluvial networks are inferred by us to best explain the 5-micron bright regions at Tui Regio and Hotei Arcus as sites of dry seas or at least paleolake clusters. Such equatorial seas, if real, may be evidence of substantially larger inventories of liquid alkanes in Titan s past.

Moore, Jeffrey Morgan↗

So Easy a Greybeard Can Do It: Mobile Paperless Engineering

Picture a NASA Engineer out at the launch pad - some new construction has been completed, and he has been tasked to inspect the job. While working, he repeatedly travels between the site and his desk, spending time seeking out information, printing out drawings for reference, and attempting to align schedules to meet with the team. This type of scenario is not just specific to Kennedy Space Center though, many industries partake in similar circumstances most realizing that there is always a need for more information, and often at a moments notice. While this approach will eventually get the job done, NASA KSC-ESC has questioned how to use readily available resources to streamline work processes, become more efficient, and produce less waste.

Greybeard↗

Chapter 5: Food Security

The current food system (production, transport, processing, packaging, storage, retail, consumption, loss and waste) feeds the great majority of world population and supports the livelihoods of over 1 billion people. Since 1961, food supply per capita has increased more than 30%, accompanied by greater use of nitrogen fertilisers (increase of about 800%) and water resources for irrigation (increase of more than 100%). However, an estimated 821 million people are currently undernourished, 151 million children under five are stunted, 613 million women and girls aged 15 to 49 suffer from iron deficiency, and 2 billion adults are overweight or obese. The food system is under pressure from non-climate stressors (e.g., population and income growth, demand for animal-sourced products), and from climate change. These climate and non-climate stresses are impacting the four pillars of food security (availability, access, utilisation, and stability).

Mbow, Cheikh↗

Radiation and Nuclear Technology in Planetary Cave Environments

Many technological and environmental challenges must be resolved to enable successful lunar habitation and exploration, and to maximize scientific return. This presentation is intended as a preliminary discussion on three such areas of interest with the intent to identify likely areas of mutual benefit for collaboration and data sharing between the space nuclear and radiological disciplines with the planetary cave community. First is the previously identified and studied possible application of lunar lava tubes or pits to reduce the solar and cosmic radiation environment burden on crew health and hardware reliability. This is an area of continued interest, and should be kept in the forefront of discussion during the selection of sites for potential exploration or long-term habitation. In theory, the prospect of using existing morphology presents an enticing opportunity to reduce the requirements on landed mass or construction while also reducing dose or fluence of harmful natural radiation. However, such discussions should also include the practical implications of relocating habitation hardware and personnel from a landing site to a subsurface location. Inherent risks associated with landing in proximity to the relevant terrain must also be considered and weighed against those imposed by the natural radiation environment. Second is a discussion on the means by which a long-term habitation module or base of operations may be powered throughout the lunar day-night cycle. Fission surface power presents an opportunity to establish round-the-clock power in any lunar surface environment, including permanently shadowed regions where solar panels cannot operate, or in any other non-polar region where solar radiation is available for no more than two weeks per four-week cycle. Among the drawbacks of fission surface power is the need to either land and co-locate a heavy shield to minimize radiological consequences to personnel or equipment, land and operate construction equipment capable of restructuring the in-situ regolith to provide appropriate shielding, or to make use of existing topology features (e.g. craters or pits) to serve as pre-formed radiation barriers. A realistic assessment of the practicality of this third option should involve the selection of candidate features from existing surveys, and assess the effectiveness of the approach using modern radiation transport methodologies. Consideration must be made for the needs to reject waste heat in the thermal power conversion process, which typically requires the use of large area radiators. Energy must be exchanged from the reactor and power conversion system to such radiators, and the impacts on thermal efficiency and secondary scatter of nuclear radiation must be considered. Further consideration should be made for the implications of placement of a power source such that it does not sacrifice valuable scientific opportunity. Placement of a reactor is likely to thereafter prevent personnel access within that feature. Third is a discussion on the use of portable radioisotope power systems (RPS) within confined spaces, both with respect to the dose effects of emitted nuclear radiation and also performance associated with emitted thermal radiation. Radioisotope power systems provide a unique capability to power objects with no reliance upon solar radiance. However, their useable power production relies upon the flow of heat from ‘hot side’ (decaying radioisotope) to ‘cold side’ (radiators emitting heat to space). In the case of a confined volume in vacuum such as a lunar lava tube, that radiated energy will absorb into the wall, which is already above the ‘cold background’ temperature of dark space, and then gradually rises in temperature. That temperature rise, and its implications on availability of useable electrical power, will depend upon factors such as enclosure volume, thermal emissivity/absorptivity, and thermal conductivity through the depth of absorbing media. The advantages of nuclear technology may prove to enable unique scientific exploration opportunities, both above the lunar surface and below. In turn, the unique advantages of lunar lava tubes or pits may present unique opportunities to enhance the application of these technologies and to mitigate the effects of radiation from both natural and technological sources. A discussion on these pairings may prove to be valuable to all, in our endeavor to explore our neighboring worlds.

Radiation↗