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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 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Exploration of the Habitability of Mars with the SAM Suite Investigation on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory

The 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with a substantially larger payload capability that any other Mars rover, to date, is designed to quantitatively assess a local region on Mars as a potential habitat for present or past life. Its goals are (1) to assess past or present biological potential of a target environment, (2) to characterize geology and geochemistry at the MSL landing site, and (3) to investigate planetary processes that influence habitability. The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Suite, in its final stages of integration and test, enables a sensitive search for organic molecules and chemical and isotopic analysis of martian volatiles. MSL contact and remote surface and subsurface survey Instruments establish context for these measurements and facilitate sample identification and selection. The SAM instruments are a gas chromatograph (GC), a mass spectrometer (MS), and a tunable laser spectrometer (TLS). These together with supporting sample manipulation and gas processing devices are designed to analyze either the atmospheric composition or gases extracted from solid phase samples such as rocks and fines. For example, one of the core SAM experiment sequences heats a small powdered sample of a Mars rock or soil from ambient to -1300 K in a controlled manner while continuously monitoring evolved gases. This is followed by GCMS analysis of released organics. The general chemical survey is complemented by a specific search for molecular classes that may be relevant to life including atmospheric methane and its carbon isotope with the TLS and biomarkers with the GCMS.

Mahaffy, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Availability of hydrogen for lunar base activities

Hydrogen will be needed on a lunar base to make water for consumables, to provide fuel, and to serve as reducing agent in the extraction of oxygen from lunar minerals. The abundance and distribution of solar wind implanted hydrogen were studied. Hydrogen was found in all samples studied with concentrations varying widely depending on soil maturity, grain size, and mineral composition. Seven cores returned from the moon were studied. Although hydrogen was implanted in the upper surface layer of the regolith, it was found throughout the cores due to micrometeorite reworking of the soil.

Bustin, Roberta↗
NASA NTRS1997

Passive Microwave Observation of Diurnal Surface Soil Moisture

Microwave radiometers operating at low frequencies are sensitive to surface soil moisture changes. Few studies have been conducted that have involved multifrequency observations at frequencies low enough to measure a significant soil depth and not be attenuated by the vegetation cover. Another unexplored aspect of microwave observations at low frequencies has been the impact of diurnal variations of the soil moisture and temperature on brightness temperature. In this investigation, observations were made using a dual frequency radiometer (1.4 and 2.65 GHz) over bare soil and corn for extended periods in 1994. Comparisons of emissivity and volumetric soil moisture at four depths for bare soils showed that there was a clear correspondence between the 1 cm soil moisture and the 2.65-GHz emissivity and between the 3-5 cm soil moisture and the 1.4-GHZ emissivity, which confirms previous studies. Observations during drying and rainfall demonstrate that new and unique information for hydrologic and energy balance studies can be extracted from these data.

Jackson, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Software for a GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System

A special-purpose software Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver designed for remote sensing with reflected GPS signals is described in Delay/Doppler-Mapping GPS-Reflection Remote-Sensing System (NPO-30385), which appears elsewhere in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. The input accepted by this program comprises raw (open-loop) digitized GPS signals sampled at a rate of about 20 MHz. The program processes the data samples to perform the following functions: detection of signals; tracking of phases and delays; mapping of delay, Doppler, and delay/Doppler waveforms; dual-frequency processing; coherent integrations as short as 125 s; decoding of navigation messages; and precise time tagging of observable quantities. The software can perform these functions on all detectable satellite signals without dead time. Open-loop data collected over water, land, or ice and processed by this software can be further processed to extract geophysical information. Possible examples include mean sea height, wind speed and direction, and significant wave height (for observations over the ocean); bistatic-radar terrain images and measures of soil moisture and biomass (for observations over land); and estimates of ice age, thickness, and surface density (for observations over ice).

Lowe, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geologic information from satellite images

The author has identified the following significant results. Extracting geologic information from ERTS and Skylab/EREP images is best done by a geologist trained in photointerpretation. The information is at a regional scale, and three basic types are available: rock and soil, geologic structures, and landforms. Discrimination between alluvium and sedimentary or crystalline bedrock, and between units in thick sedimentary sequences is best, primarily because of topographic expression and vegetation differences. Discrimination between crystalline rock types is poor. Folds and fractures are the best displayed geologic features. They are recognizable by topographic expression, drainage patterns, and rock or vegetation tonal patterns. Landforms are easily discriminated by their familar shapes and patterns. It is possible to optimize the scale, format, spectral bands, conditions of acquisition, and sensor systems for best geologic interpretation. Several examples demonstrate the applicability of satellite images to tectonic analysis and petroleum and mineral exploration.

Lee, K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

NASA 1990 Multisensor Airborne Campaigns (MACs) for ecosystem and watershed studies

The Multisensor Airborne Campaign (MAC) focus within NASA's former Land Processes research program was conceived to achieve the following objectives: to acquire relatively complete, multisensor data sets for well-studied field sites, to add a strong remote sensing science component to ecology-, hydrology-, and geology-oriented field projects, to create a research environment that promotes strong interactions among scientists within the program, and to more efficiently utilize and compete for the NASA fleet of remote sensing aircraft. Four new MAC's were conducted in 1990: the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) project along an east-west transect through central Oregon, the Forest Ecosystem Dynamics (FED) project at the Northern Experimental Forest in Howland, Maine, the MACHYDRO project in the Mahantango Creek watershed in central Pennsylvania, and the Walnut Gulch project near Tombstone, Arizona. The OTTER project is testing a model that estimates the major fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and water through temperate coniferous forest ecosystems. The focus in the project is on short time-scale (days-year) variations in ecosystem function. The FED project is concerned with modeling vegetation changes of forest ecosystems using remotely sensed observations to extract biophysical properties of forest canopies. The focus in this project is on long time-scale (decades to millenia) changes in ecosystem structure. The MACHYDRO project is studying the role of soil moisture and its regulating effects on hydrologic processes. The focus of the study is to delineate soil moisture differences within a basin and their changes with respect to evapotranspiration, rainfall, and streamflow. The Walnut Gulch project is focused on the effects of soil moisture in the energy and water balance of arid and semiarid ecosystems and their feedbacks to the atmosphere via thermal forcing.

Wickland, Diane E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Distribution and speciation of Sb and toxic metal(loid)s near an antimony refinery and their effects on indigenous microorganisms

Although several studies have investigated the effects of Sb contamination on surrounding environments and indigenous microorganisms, little is known about the effect of co-contamination of Sb and toxic metal(loid)s. In this study, the occurrence of Sb and other toxic metal(loid)s near an operating Sb refinery and near-field landfill site were investigated. Topsoil samples near the refinery had high Sb levels (~3250 mg kg -1 ) but relatively low concentrations of other toxic metal(loid)s. However, several soil samples taken at greater depth from the near-field landfill site contained high concentrations of As and Pb, as well as extremely high Sb contents (~21,400 mg kg -1 ). X-ray absorption fine structure analysis showed that Sb in the soils from both sites was present as Sb(V) in the form of tripuhyite (FeSbO 4 ), a stable mineral. Three-dimensional principal coordinate analysis showed that microbial community compositions in samples with high toxic metal(loid)s concentrations were significantly different from other samples and had lower microbial populations (~10 4 MPN g -1 ). Sequential extraction results revealed that Sb is present primarily in the stable residual fraction (~99 %), suggesting low Sb bioavailability. Finally, however, microbial redundancy analysis suggested that the more easily extractable Pb might be the major factor controlling microbial community compositions at the site.

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗
NASA NTRS2005

Thermoelectric Air/Soil Energy-Harvesting Device

A proposed thermoelectric device would exploit natural temperature differences between air and soil to harvest small amounts of electric energy. Because the air/soil temperature difference fluctuates between nighttime and daytime, it is almost never zero, and so there is almost always some energy available for harvesting. Unlike photovoltaic cells, the proposed device could operate in the absence of sunlight. Unlike a Stirling engine, which could be designed to extract energy from the air/soil temperature difference, the proposed device would contain no moving parts. The main attractive feature of the proposed device would be high reliability. In a typical application, this device would be used for low-power charging of a battery that would, in turn, supply high power at brief, infrequent intervals for operating an instrumentation package containing sensors and communication circuits. The device (see figure) would include a heat exchanger buried in soil and connected to a heat pipe extending up to a short distance above the ground surface. A thermoelectric microgenerator (TEMG) would be mounted on top of the heat pipe. The TEMG could be of an advanced type, now under development, that could maintain high (relative to prior thermoelectric generators) power densities at small temperature differentials. A heat exchanger exposed to the air would be mounted on top of the TEMG. It would not matter whether the air was warmer than the soil or the soil warmer than the air: as long as there was a nonzero temperature difference, heat would flow through the device and electricity would be generated. A study of factors that could affect the design and operation of the device has been performed. These factors include the thermal conductances of the soil, the components of the device, the contacts between the components of the device, and the interfaces between the heat exchangers and their environments. The study included experiments that were performed on a model of the device to demonstrate feasibility. Because a TEMG suitable for this device was not available, a brass dummy component having a known thermal conductance of 1.68 W/K was substituted for the TEMG in the models to enable measurement of heat flows. The model included a water-based heat pipe 30 in. (76.2 cm) long and 1 in. (2.54 cm) in diameter, wrapped with polyethylene insulation to reduce radial heat flow. Several different side heat exchangers were tested. On the basis of the measurements, it was predicted that if a prototype of the device were equipped with a TEMG, daily temperature fluctuations would cause its output power to fluctuate between 0 and about 0.1 mW, peaking to 0.35 mW during early afternoon.

Snyder, Jeffrey↗
DOE OSTI2026

Data from a four-day long microcosm experiment addressing the destabilization of artificial mineral-associated organic matter by model root exudates embedded in a soil matrix from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (Gothic, CO, USA), 2019

This dataset provides data collected during a four-day long laboratory soil microcosm experiment testing the efficacy of root exudate-driven mineral-associated organic matter destabilization. This dataset contains four data files in comma-separate values (*.csv). The files provide the metadata and the experimental results on microbial respiration, MAOM-derived respiration, and sequential mineral-extractions. This data was used to produce the figures in Bölscher et al., 2026. The results of the experiment can be found in the open access article Bölscher et al., 2026 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110276). Abstract: Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is often considered stable, but root exudates can destabilize MAOM via various pathways. Theory and model system studies suggest that direct MAOM destabilization by strong ligands, like oxalic acid, or reducing agents, like catechol, is more effective than indirect, microbial-mediated MAOM destabilization, stimulated by less reactive compounds like glucose. Here, we demonstrate that the presence of a soil matrix alters the efficacy of exudate-driven MAOM destabilization pathways. Glucose and catechol destabilized significantly greater amounts of MAOM from ferrihydrite and aluminum hydroxide (Al (OH)3) embedded in a soil matrix than oxalic acid. Our findings indicate that indirect, microbial-mediated MAOM destabilization may play a larger role than direct MAOM destabilization in soil environments.

Destabilization↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reactive oxygen species alter chemical composition and adsorptive fractionation of soil organic matter

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), formed during redox fluctuations in iron-rich soils, have been known to stimulate lignin degradation, although not much is known about how they alter soil organic matter (SOM) composition and interaction with mineral surfaces. We conducted a laboratory experiment to see how ROS altered SOM composition and adsorptive fractionation onto Fe-mineral surfaces. We reacted water extracts of SOM with ·OH, produced by the Fenton reaction, and then conducted a sorption experiment of the extracts with goethite to analyze the amount and quality of SOM adsorbed. The Fenton reaction preferentially consumed low-O, mostly aromatic molecules, and new high-O molecules were detected post-Fenton, nearly half of which were carbohydrate-like. Although the amount of C adsorbed did not change after oxidation, the post-Fenton adsorbed molecules were more oxidized. Pre-Fenton adsorption was dominated by aromatic molecules (90%), but post-Fenton, the adsorbed molecules were 75% aromatic and 25% carbohydrate-like. We show that the ·OH radical oxidized SOM and shifted patterns of adsorption to a more oxidized pool. Because adsorption to minerals is thought to stabilize SOM, our results suggest that ROS may alter the availability and stabilization patterns of SOM.

Patel, Kaizad F.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Niche Partitioning of Microbial Communities at an Ancient Vitrified Hillfort: Implications for Vitrified Radioactive Waste Disposal

A pre-Viking era vitrified hillfort, Broborg, provides a habitat analogue for disposed radioactive waste glass and shows strong niche partitioning among the organisms involved in glass alteration. Microbes cannot be eliminated from radioactive waste disposal facilities and the consequences of bio-colonization must be understood. We use Broborg as a model system to inform what microbial processes might influence long-term radioactive waste glass durability by examining anthropogenic glass that has been subjected to bio-colonization for over 1,500 years. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images reveal the surficial biofilm structure, and chemical/mineralogy analysis in combination with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing of samples from the vitrified substrate, the adjacent soil, and the general topsoil provide insight into niche partitioning. The ancient glass niche supports a unique microbial community of bacteria, fungi, and protists that manifests the species response to local geochemical and mineralogical conditions. Communities from the geochemical niche associated with the glass are distinct and less diverse than soil communities. The microbiome of the glass and adjacent soil are dominated by lichens, lichen-associated microorganisms, and other epilithic, endolithic, and epigeic organisms. Pseudomonads dominate the prokaryotic communities on the vitrified material, but not the adjacent soil. In contrast, the general topsoil communities are enriched in plant rhizosphere organisms. Taxa associated with vitrification have bio-corrosive properties that could be detrimental to glass durability, including silicate mineral dissolution, extraction of essential elements, secretion of geochemically reactive organic acids, and dissolution induced by improved water retention. However, these stable long-term biofilms also possess a homeostatic function that could limit glass alteration. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential impacts that microbial colonization and niche partitioning can have on glass alteration and subsequent release of radionuclides from a disposal facility for vitrified radioactive waste.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Canopy responses of Swedish primary and secondary forests to the 2018 drought

Boreal forest ecosystems are predicted to experience more frequent summer droughts due to climate change, posing a threat to future forest health and carbon sequestration. Forestry is a regionally dominant land use where the managed secondary forests are typically even-aged forests with low structural and tree species diversity. It is not well known if managed secondary forests and unmanaged primary forests respond to drought differently in part because the location of primary, unmanaged, forests has remained largely unknown. Here we employed a unique map detailing over 300 primary forests in Sweden. We studied impacts of the 2018 nationwide drought by extracting and analyzing a high-resolution remote sensing vegetation index over the primary forests and over buffer zones around the primary forests representing secondary forests. We controlled for topographical variations linked to soil moisture, which was a strong determinant of drought responses, and analyzed Landsat-derived EVI2 anomalies during the drought year from a multiyear non-drought baseline. We found that primary forests were less affected by the drought compared to secondary forests. Our results indicate that forestry may exacerbate the impact of drought in a future climate with more frequent and extreme hydroclimatic events.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of hyper-spectral AVIRIS image data over a mixed-conifer forest in Maine

An introduction to some of the potential uses of hyperspectral data for ecosystem analysis is presented. The examples given are derived from a digital dataset acquired over a sub-boreal forest in central Maine in 1990 by the NASA-JPL Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument gathers data from 400 to 2500 nm in 224 channels at bandwidths of approximately 10 nm. As a preview to the uses of the hyperspectral data, several products from this dataset were extracted. They range from the traditional false color composite made from simulated Thematic Mapper bands and the well known normalized difference vegetation index to much more exotic products such as fractions of vegetation, soil and shade based on linear spectral mixing models and estimates of the leaf water content at the landscape level derived using spectrum-matching techniques. Our research and that of many others indicates that the hyperspectral datasets carry much important information which is only beginning to be understood. This analysis gives an initial indication of the utility of hyperspectral data. Much work still remains to be done in algorithm development and in understanding the physics behind the complex information signal carried in the hyperspectral datasets. This work must be carried out to provide the fullest science support for high spectral resolution data to be acquired by many of the instruments to be launched as part of the Earth Observing System program in the mid-1990's.

Lawrence, William T.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Sintering of Lunar and Simulant Glass

Most oxygen-extraction techniques are temperature-dependent, with higher temperatures resulting in higher oxygen yield. An example is hydrogen reduction, in which the optimum process temperature is 1050 C. However, glass-rich lunar soil begins to show the effects of sintering at temperatures of 900 C or lower. Sintering welds particles together due to viscous relaxation of the glass in the sample. One approach to avoid problems related to sintering, such as difficulty in removing waste material from the reactor, is to keep the soil in motion. One of several methods being studied to accomplish this is fluidized-bed processing techniques, in which the grains are kept in motion by the action of flowing reductant gas. The spent material can be removed from the chamber while still fluidized, or the fluidizing motion can continue until the material has cooled below approx. 500 C. Until end-to-end prototypes are built that can remove the heated soil, the most practical option is to keep the bed fluidized while cooling the waste material. As ISRU technology advances, another option will become valuable, which is to intentionally sinter the material to a great enough extent that it becomes a brick. The free iron in lunar soil is magnetic, and ferromagnetic bricks can be manipulated by robotic systems using electromagnetic end effectors. Finally, if an electromagnetic field is applied to the soil while the brick is being formed, the brick itself will become a magnet. This property can be used to create self-aligning bricks or other building materials that do not require fasteners. Although sintering creates a challenge for early lunar surface systems, knowledge gained during prototype development will be valuable for the advanced lunar outpost.

Cooper, Bonnie L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Heavy Isotope Composition of Oxygen in Zircon from Soil Sample 14163: Lunar Perspective of an Early Ocean on the Earth

Thirty oxygen analyses of a large (sub-millimetre) zircon grain from the lunar soil sample 14163 have been determined using CAMECA 1270 ion microprobe. The sample 14163 was returned form the Fra Mauro region by Apollo 14 mission. Zircon grain of 0.6-0.8 mm in size extracted from the sample was imaged using CL detector fitted to the Philips Electron Microscope in order to reveal internal structure. Oxygen isotopes have been analysed during two sessions. The first set of data was collected using the original mount where the grain was set in the resin attached to the glass slide. This resulted in the two complications: (i) standard zircon has to be analysed from the separate mount and (ii) the lunar zircon grain was rased in the holder compared to the standard. In order to investigate, if the elevated oxygen compositions observed during this session could have resulted from this difference in geometric configuration during the standard and sample analyses, the lunar zircon was extracted from the original mount, remounted with the standard chip in the new resin disk and reanalysed during the second session. All analyses made during the first session show delta O-18 values heavier than 6.0%. The second set of data has a wider spread of delta O-18 values with some values as low as 5.6%. Nevertheless, a half of observed delta O-18 values in this set is also higher than 6.0%. Slightly lighter oxygen compositions observed during the second session indicate possible dependence of measured delta O-18 values on the geometry of analysed samples. Presence of zircons with similar heavy oxygen isotope compositions on the Moon, which neither had liquid water or felic crust similar to that on the Earth nor ever developed regime similar to plate tectonics, suggests that other mechanisms can be responsible for elevated delta O-18 values in zircons. This implies that there is no support for the presence of an ocean on the surface of the early Earth and as the ocean appears to be an essential ingredient for the plate tectonics, there is no basis for belief that this mechanism was operating in the early history of the planet.

Nemchin, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Infrared Spectral Observations While Drilling into a Frozen Lunar Simulant

Past and continuing observations indicate an enrichment of volatile materials in lunar polar regions. While these volatiles may be located near the surface, access to them will likely require subsurface sampling, during which it is desirable to monitor the volatile content. In a simulation of such activities, a multilayer lunar simulant was prepared with differing water content, and placed inside a thermal vacuum chamber at Glenn Research Center (GRC). The soil profile was cooled using liquid nitrogen. In addition to the soil, a drill and infrared (IR) spectrometer (~1600-3400 nm) were also located in the GRC chamber. We report the spectral observations obtained during a sequence where the drill was repeatedly inserted and extracted, to different depths, at the same location. We observe an overall increase in the spectral signature of water ice over the duration of the test. Additionally, we observe variations in the water ice spectral signature as the drill encounters different layers.

volatile content↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Influence of the Space Environment on Geopolymer Lunar Concrete

NASA is set to embark on the next era of human space exploration on the Artemis program. An eventual goal of the program is to maintain a human presence on the lunar surface. With such a goal comes the challenge of providing durable infrastructure that is suitable for the Moon and utilizes in-situ resources. Bringing materials form Earth poses a financial burden and increased safety concern. The composition of the lunar soil makes it advantageous to create a geopolymer concrete material. The lunar regolith can be used in the as found condition on the lunar surface and most of the mixing solution can be extracted form the regolith. It is envisioned than any concrete infrastructure would make use of additive manufacturing techniques with a temporary controlled environment enclosure to mitigate the harsh lunar conditions. Data is needed to benchmark how the material behaves once exposed to such an extreme environment so structural failures are mitigated.

Peter J. Collins↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Automatic Processing Framework for In Situ Determination of Ecohydrological Root Water Content by Ground-Penetrating Radar

This report concerns Root water content (RWC) as a vital component in water flux in soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Knowledge of RWC helps to better understand the root function and the soil-root interaction and improves water cycle modeling. However, due to the lack of appropriate methods, field monitoring of RWC is seriously constrained. In this study, we used ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a common geophysical technique, to characterize RWC of coarse roots noninvasively. An automatic GPR data processing framework was proposed to (1) identify hyperbolic root reflections and locate roots in GPR images and (2) extract waveform parameters from the reflected wave of identified roots. These waveform parameters were then used to establish an empirical model and a semiempirical model to determine RWC. We validated the developed models using GPR root data at three antenna center frequencies (500 MHz, 900 MHz, and 2 GHz) that were produced from simulation experiments (with RWC ranging from 70% to 150%) and field experiments in sandy soils (with RWC ranging from 66% to 144%). Our results show that both the empirical and the semiempirical models achieved a good performance in estimating RWC with similar accuracy, i.e., the prediction error [root-mean-square error (RMSE)] was less than 8% for the simulation data and 12% for the field data. For both models, the accuracy of RWC estimation was the highest when applied to 2-GHz data. This study renders a new opportunity to determine RWC under field conditions that enhances the application of GPR for root study and the understanding and modeling of ecohydrology in the rhizosphere.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗