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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

Remote Sensing of Global Wetland Dynamics

Although natural wetlands only cover about 4% of the earth's ice-free land surface, they are the world's largest methane (CH4) source and the only one dominated by climate. In addition, wetlands affect climate by modulating temperatures and heat fluxes, storing water, increasing evaporation, and altering the seasonality of runoff and river discharge to the oceans. Current CH4 emissions from wetlands are relatively well understood but the sensitivity of wetlands and their emissions to climate variations remains the largest uncertainty in the global CH4 cycle and could strongly influence predictions of future climate. Therefore, characterizing climate-sensitive processes prevailing in the world's wetlands is crucial to understanding and predicting physical and biogeochemical responses of wetlands to interannual and longer-term climate variations. Recent research has resulted in the first generation of models to predict methane emissions from wetlands but the models must still be applied to static data on wetland distributions. Moreover, no models currently exist to realistically predict the distribution and dynamics of wetlands themselves for the current, or any other, climate. The dominant obstacle to modeling wetland dynamics has been lack of remote sensing techniques and data useful for characterizing quantitatively the seasonal and interannual variations of wetlands. We report on initial remote sensing studies undertaken to validate a global hydrological model linking rivers, takes and wetlands. Using a combination of SSM/I microwave and TOPEX Poseidon altimetry data sets, we developed and applied techniques to quantify inundation extent and duration for several large wetlands in tropical Africa and South America. Our initial results indicate that seasonally-inundated wetlands can be well characterized over large spatial scales and at monthly time scales using these remote sensing data. The results also confirm that currently available remote sensing products can be applied to provide crucial data to the research community modeling global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles.

Matthews, Elaine↗
NASA NTRS2000

STS-101 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 2 of 3

A continuation of 'STS-101 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 1 of 3', footage shows the activities of flight days five through ten. The crew of STS-101 (Commander James D. Halsell, Jr. and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeffrey N. Williams, James S. Voss, Susan J. Helms, and Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev) are seen during ingress between the Atlantis Orbiter and the International Space Station (ISS) and as they transfer equipment from Atlantis to the ISS. The crew is shown working in the Zarya module and leaving ISS just before resealing the connecting hatches. Footage shows the successful undocking of Atlantis. The activities of flight day 11 and landing can be seen on 'STS-101 Mission Highlights Resource Tape, Part 3 of 3'.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

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↗
DOE OSTI2026

NGEE Arctic Integrated Modeling (IM3): Improved snow-vegetation interaction

This data product represents the integration of new code capability for arctic tundra snow-vegetation-terrain interactions into the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), through the E3SM Land Model (ELM) component. This code integration is the result of collaborative effort between the NGEE Arctic project and the E3SM project. The NGEE Arctic project developed a total of six Integrated Modeling (IM) modules informed by observations and experiments. New ELM capability represented by this data product (IM3) falls into three categories: 1) Downscaling from gridcell to topographic unit level when working through the existing coupler bypass code. 2) Four new parameters (taper, stocking, bendresist, and vegshape) have been added to ELM to allow for flexible definition of snow-vegetation interactions. 3) Vegshape and bendresist parameters are used to calculate the fraction of leaf area and/or stem area buried by snow for a given snow depth. This data record consists of a single document (pdf format) that describes the theoretical basis for the snow-vegetation-terrain interactions added to ELM, and describes the modifications made to the ELM code. The Methods section of this metadata record includes a link to the public E3SM code repository where the exact code modifications as integrated in E3SM can be accessed. The Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments: Arctic (NGEE Arctic), was a research effort to reduce uncertainty in Earth System Models by developing a predictive understanding of carbon-rich Arctic ecosystems and feedbacks to climate. NGEE Arctic was supported by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The NGEE Arctic project had two field research sites: 1) located within the Arctic polygonal tundra coastal region on the Barrow Environmental Observatory (BEO) and the North Slope near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska and 2) multiple areas on the discontinuous permafrost region of the Seward Peninsula north of Nome, Alaska. Through observations, experiments, and synthesis with existing datasets, NGEE Arctic provided an enhanced knowledge base for multi-scale modeling and contributed to improved process representation at global pan-Arctic scales within the Department of Energy's Earth system Model (the Energy Exascale Earth System Model, or E3SM), and specifically within the E3SM Land Model component (ELM).

Thornton, Peter E [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000247595158)↗
NASA NTRS2009

Modeling of Lunar Dust Contamination Due to Plume Impingement

During the Apollo missions it became apparent that lunar dust was a significant hazard. Problems included: surface obscuration during landing sequence; abrasion damage to gouge faces and helmet visors; mechanism clogging; development of space suit pressurization leaks; loss of radiator heat rejection capabilities to the point where vulnerable equipment exceeded maximum survival temperature ratings; temporary vision and respiratory problems within the Apollo Lunar Module (LM). NASA Constellation Program features many system-level components, including the Altair Lunar Lander. Altair to endure longer periods at lunar surface conditions: Apollo LM, about three days; Altair, over seven months. Program managers interested in plume-generated dust transport onto thermal control surface radiators of the first Altair created by its own landing operations.

Woronowicz, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1988

Trellis-coded CPM for satellite-based mobile communications

Digital transmission for satellite-based land mobile communications is discussed. To satisfy the power and bandwidth limitations imposed on such systems, a combination of trellis coding and continuous-phase modulated signals are considered. Some schemes based on this idea are presented, and their performance is analyzed by computer simulation. The results obtained show that a scheme based on directional detection and Viterbi decoding appears promising for practical applications.

Abrishamkar, Farrokh↗
NASA NTRS1992

Systems integration of lunar Campsite vehicles

This paper describes the configuration design and subsystems integration resolution for lunar Campsite vehicles and the crew vehicles (CVs) which support them. This concept allows early return to the moon while minimizing hardware development. Once in place, the Campsite can be revisited for extended periods. Configuration and operations issues are addressed, and explanations of the parametric subsystem analysis, as well as descriptions of the hardware concept and performance data, are provided. Within an assumed set of launch and mission constraints, a common vehicle stage design for both the Campsite and the CV landers was the chief design driver. Accommodation of a heat-shielded, ballistic crew transportation/return vehicle, scars for later system growth and upgrades, landing the crew in close proximity to the Campsite, and appropriate kinds of robotic systems were all secondary design drivers. Physical integration of the crew module and airlock, structural system, thermal radiators, power production and storage systems, external life support consumables, and payloads are covered. The vehicle performance data were derived using a Boeing lunar transportation sizing code to optimize vehicle stage sizes and commonality. Configuration trades were conducted and detailed sketches were produced.

Capps, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS2019

Numerical study of lander engine plume impingement on the surface off Europa

Plume exhaust from lander engines would be of concern when landing on the surface of Europa since it could have detrimental effects on both the landing surface and powered descent vehicle. The plume could also entrain particles and redirect them up toward the landing vehicle, as well as erode and contaminate the surface where science would be conducted. In this work, a numerical methodology is developed and validated to conduct a first-order assessment of individual engine plumes of a potential Europa Lander vehicle. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to solve the flow field inside and immediately downstream of the nozzle, while the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is applied further downstream where the flow becomes rarefied. An interface between the two domains is defined where macroscopic flow data is passed from the CFD domain to the DSMC domain, establishing a one-way coupling. Plume pressure and velocity fields, as well as ground heating, pressure and density flux profiles, are obtained at altitudes from 25 m down to 10 m, spanning the final stages of landing. The codes and methodologies used in this study are successfully validated with simulations conducted by Morris et al. [1-3] of the Apollo Lunar Module Descent Engine (LMDE) exhaust plume impinging onto the lunar surface.

Hoey, William↗
DOE OSTI2025

DEMOS (Demographic Microsimulator Tool for Longitudinal Synthetic Population) [SWR-25-135] related to NLR SWR-26-076

The Demographic Microsimulator (DEMOS) is an agent-based simulation framework used to model the evolution of population demographic characteristics and lifecycle events, such as education attainment, marital status, and other key transitions. DEMOS modules are designed to capture the interdependencies between short-term and long-term lifecycle events, which are often influential in downstream transportation and land-use modeling. A key feature of DEMOS is its ability to track changes in an agent’s demographic status from year t to year t + 1. This structure allows the model to evolve populations over any user-defined time horizon. As a result, DEMOS is well suited for analyzing medium- and long-term transportation-related decisions, including household vehicle transactions (e.g., purchasing, selling, or replacing vehicles) and work location choices. Core features of DEMOS include the modeling of more than ten lifecycle events, behaviorally realistic patterns informed by long-running panel data, explicit representation of interdependencies among lifecycle processes, and a flexible, modular simulation architecture. A technical memorandum describing DEMOS is available here. The memorandum provides an overview of the framework’s functionality, model structure, input and output data, and its applications in transportation planning and broader policy analysis contexts. Interested readers are also encouraged to consult the paper listed below for additional details on the DEMOS methodology. Sun, Bingrong, Shivam Sharda, Venu M. Garikapati, Mohamed Amine Bouzaghrane, Juan Caicedo, Srinath Ravulaparthy, Isabel Viegas de Lima, Ling Jin, C. Anna Spurlock, and Paul Waddell. "Demographic Microsimulator for Integrated Urban Systems: Adapting Panel Survey of Income Dynamics to Capture the Continuum of Life." Transportation Research Record (2025): 03611981251333339.

Sun, Bingrong [National Laboratory of the Rockies ↗
NASA NTRS2007

ExoMars Mission Analysis and Design - Launch, Cruise and Arrival Analyses

ExoMars is ESA s next mission to planet Mars. The probe is aimed for launch either in 2013 or in 2016. The project is currently undergoing Phase B1 studies under ESA management and Thales Alenia Space Italia project leadership. In that context, DEIMOS Space is responsible for the Mission Analysis and Design for the interplanetary and the entry, descent and landing (EDL) activities. The present mission baseline is based on an Ariane 5 or Proton M launch in 2013 of a spacecraft Composite bearing a Carrier Module (CM) and a Descent Module (DM). A back-up option is proposed in 2016. This paper presents the current status of the interplanetary mission design from launch up to the start of the EDL phase.

Cano, Juan L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Post-Flight EDL Entry Guidance Performance of the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory Mission

The 2011 Mars Science Laboratory was the first Mars guided entry which safely delivered the rover to a landing within a touchdown ellipse of 19.1 km x 6.9 km. The Entry Terminal Point Controller guidance algorithm is derived from the final phase Apollo Command Module guidance and, like Apollo, modulates the bank angle to control the range flown. The guided entry performed as designed without any significant exceptions. The Curiosity rover was delivered about 2.2 km from the expected touchdown. This miss distance is attributed to little time to correct the downrange drift from the final bank reversal and a suspected tailwind during heading alignment. The successful guided entry for the Mars Science Laboratory lays the foundation for future Mars missions to improve upon.

Mendeck, Gavin F.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Improved Peatland Hydrology and L-Band Microwave Radiative Transfer Modeling in Version 7 of the SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture Data Assimilation Product

The NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission Level-4 Soil Moisture (L4_SM) product provides global, 9-km resolution, 3-hourly surface (0-5 cm) and root-zone (0-100 cm) soil moisture from April 2015 to present with a mean latency of 2.5 days from the time of observation. The L4_SM estimates are derived from the assimilation of SMAP L-band (1.4 GHz) brightness temperature (Tb) observations into the NASA Catchment land surface model. The recently released Version 7 of L4_SM comprises two key advances. First, the Catchment model now includes the recently developed PEATCLSM hydrology module for peatlands and uses an updated global map of peatlands. Second, revised parameters are used in the L-band radiative transfer model that converts the simulated soil moisture and temperature estimates into Tb predictions for use in the radiance-based L4_SM analysis. Specifically, the L-band scattering albedo, soil roughness, and vegetation opacity climatology are obtained from the SMAP Level-2 dual-channel soil moisture retrieval product. In this presentation, we examine the improvements gained with the model and parameter changes. In peatlands, the dynamics of water table depth, surface soil moisture and evapotranspiration are considerably improved in L4_SM Version 7 over Version 6 when evaluated against in situ measurements. These improvements are also manifested in smaller Tb observation-minus-forecast residuals.

SMAP↗
NASA NTRS2022

Concept for 2033 Crewed Mars Orbital Mission with Venus Flyby

The 2033 Mars launch period provides a unique opportunity for a round trip mission with a total flight time of only 1.6 years. A concept is presented to perform a crewed Mars orbital mission in 2033 that would minimize development and mission risk by using conventional hypergolic in-space propulsion stages with a common design. The Mars mission vehicle would include a Mars transit habitat, an Orion spacecraft, and chemical propulsion stages. It would be launched by a combination of SLS and commercial rockets to be aggregated in high Earth orbit or at the Lunar Gateway. The crew would launch to the mission vehicle in Orion as the final element in the assembly. After transit to Mars, the crew would spend about 30 days in a high Mars orbit and then return to Earth via a Venus flyby and gravity assist. A sunshade would be deployed for thermal control of the mission vehicle inside 1 AU. The crew would return directly to Earth in the Orion crew module, with the transit habitat being expended. The 2033 mission would not be a “one-off”, but could be a pathfinder for crew transport for landing missions to follow, perhaps starting as early as 2037.

Woolley, Ryan↗
NASA NTRS2009

Simulating the Effects of Irrigation over the U.S. in a Land Surface Model Based on Satellite Derived Agricultural Data

A novel method is introduced for integrating satellite derived irrigation data and high-resolution crop type information into a land surface model (LSM). The objective is to improve the simulation of land surface states and fluxes through better representation of agricultural land use. Ultimately, this scheme could enable numerical weather prediction (NWP) models to capture land-atmosphere feedbacks in managed lands more accurately and thus improve forecast skill. Here we show that application of the new irrigation scheme over the continental US significantly influences the surface water and energy balances by modulating the partitioning of water between the surface and the atmosphere. In our experiment, irrigation caused a 12% increase in evapotranspiration (QLE) and an equivalent reduction in the sensible heat flux (QH) averaged over all irrigated areas in the continental US during the 2003 growing season. Local effects were more extreme: irrigation shifted more than 100 W/m from QH to QLE in many locations in California, eastern Idaho, southern Washington, and southern Colorado during peak crop growth. In these cases, the changes in ground heat flux (QG), net radiation (RNET), evapotranspiration (ET), runoff (R), and soil moisture (SM) were more than 3 W/m(sup 2), 20 W/m(sup 2), 5 mm/day, 0.3 mm/day, and 100 mm, respectively. These results are highly relevant to continental- to global-scale water and energy cycle studies that, to date, have struggled to quantify the effects of agricultural management practices such as irrigation. Based on the results presented here, we expect that better representation of managed lands will lead to improved weather and climate forecasting skill when the new irrigation scheme is incorporated into NWP models such as NOAA's Global Forecast System (GFS).

Ozdogan, Mutlu↗
NASA NTRS2001

STS-105/Discovery/ISS 7A.1: Pre-Launch Activities, Launch, Orbit Activities and Landing

The crew of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-105 is introduced at their pre-launch meal and at suit-up. The crew members include Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry, together with the Expedition 3 crew of the International Space Station (ISS). The Expedition 3 crew includes Commander Frank Culbertson, Soyuz Commander Vladimir Dezhurov, and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. When the astronauts depart for the launch pad in the Astrovan, their convoy is shown from above. Upon reaching the launch pad, they conduct a walk around of the shuttle, display signs for family members while being inspected in the White Room, and are strapped into their seats onboard Disciovery. The video includes footage of Discovery in the Orbiter Processing Facility, and some of the pre-launch procedures at the Launch Control Center are shown. The angles of launch replays include: TV-1, Beach Tracker, VAB, Pad A, Tower 1, UCS-15, Grandstand, OTV-70, Onboard, IGOR, and UCS-23. The moment of docking between Discovery and the ISS is shown from inside Discovery's cabin. While in orbit, the crew conducted extravehicular activities (EVAs) to attach an experiments container, and install handrails on the Destiny module of the ISS. The video shows the docking and unloading of the Leonardo Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) onto the ISS. The deployment of a satellite from Discovery with the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the background is shown. Cape Canaveral is also shown from space. Landing replays include VAB, Tower 1, mid-field, South End SLF, North End SLF, Tower 2, Playalinda DOAMS, UCS-23, and Pilot Point of View (PPOV). NASA Administrator Dan Goldin meets the crew upon landing and participates in their walk around of Discovery. The video concludes with a short speech by commander Horowitz.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2024

Back-to-back high category atmospheric river landfalls occur more often on the west coast of the United States

Abstract The catastrophic December 2022-January 2023 nine atmospheric rivers in California underscore the urgent need to better understand such high-risk weather extremes. Here we applied a machine learning clustering tool to understand the activity of atmospheric river clusters. Reanalysis results show that clusters with high density, that is the time fraction under atmospheric river conditions within a cluster, exhibit more frequent high-category atmospheric rivers, alongside an increased likelihood for extreme precipitation and severe land surface responses. The key circulation patterns of atmospheric river clusters are primarily attributed to subseasonal variability. Furthermore, the occurrence and density of atmospheric river clusters are modulated by the daily variability of the geopotential height field. Climate model projections suggest that atmospheric river clusters with higher density and higher categories will be more frequent as warming level increases. Our findings emphasize the important role of atmospheric river clusters in the development of climate adaptation and resilience strategies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1963

Vehicle Design for Mars Landing and Return to Mars Orbit

This paper briefly describes three modes for accomplishing the Mars landing mission and compares them on a gross basis to indicate their probable order of merit and to identify design requirements placed on the Mars-excursion module (MEM) by the choice of mode. The paper shows that a flyby-rendezvous mode requiring low weight in earth orbit requires the MEM to enter the Mars atmosphere at velocities ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 ft/sec. The MEM for the flyby-rendezvous mode is not covered in this paper but merits further study. The MEM for the other modes of mission accomplishment begins its active operational sequence in Mars orbit and need not be greatly influenced by the method of delivery to Mars orbit. Parametric studies of the entry problem for two vehicles typifying a ballistic-type and a lifting-body-type were conducted to identify the problems associated with design of a MEM to accommodate the extremes of Mars atmospheric density presently predicted. This brief study indicates that: (a) the presently predicted density extremes of the Mars atmosphere present no serious design problems for a MEM which can operate across the entire band of predicted densities; (b) details of operational requirements and mission objectives will control the choice of configuration rather than entry requirements; and (c) the ballistic-type MEM is lighter and simpler but has less operational flexibility than a high L/D MEM.

Hammock, D. M.↗