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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Powering the Lunar Surface: Managing Dust, Extreme Environments, and Power Needs

Power availability remains one of the primary constraints for lunar surface science. This talk reviews power requirements from previously flown instruments to help prepare future payloads for upcoming CLPS opportunities and highlights the testing and environmental simulation capabilities at NASA JSC that enable reliable lunar payload development. It also outlines the power needs, environmental challenges, and emerging technologies required to support sustained human and robotic operations on the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Moon to Mars strategy. Key challenges include variable solar illumination at polar and equatorial regions, extreme thermal environments, and dust driven degradation that limit current surface power systems. The science data needed for resource identification and landing site planning will allow for the successful preparation of crewed Artemis activities and long-term presence. Building on recent missions, current test infrastructure, and emerging power technology pathways, this presentation equips industry, academia, and government teams with the information needed to design robust lunar payloads, reduce development risk, and fully leverage the increasing cadence of CLPS missions. These developments will form a critical technical foundation for long duration lunar presence and future Mars exploration.

lunar power↗
NASA NTRS2026

Hybrid Modeling Study on Grain Evolution in the Metal Welding Process and Its Potential Lunar Application

Metal is most commonly used structural material in a wide range of spacecraft, and welding is the principal method for joining metal components into functional systems. However, conducting welding experiments under extreme environments—such as microgravity or vacuum conditions in space—is prohibitively expensive and experimentally challenging. To overcome these limitations, multi-physics computational welding models provide a cost-effective and versatile alternative. In this work, the authors have developed a coupled thermal (fluid) microstructure simulation framework to model metal welding under varying gravity conditions. The framework integrates a mixed-mode heat transfer formulation (conduction, convection, and radiation) with molten pool fluid dynamics, enabling accurate prediction of temperature fields and weld-pool geometry. A grain growth model is further incorporated to capture the spatial and temporal evolution of microstructure, including grain size distribution and morphological transitions during solidification. This approach provides detailed insight into molten pool evolution and grain-level microstructure development throughout the welding process. By explicitly parameterizing environmental conditions, the model supports extrapolation to off-Earth manufacturing scenarios such as welding on the lunar surface. Tantalum—chosen in this study due to its high melting point, oxidation resistance, and mechanical stability at elevated temperatures—serves as the material system for model demonstration. Beyond Tantalum, the integrated multi-physics framework offers broad applicability for predictive welding simulations of various structural and refractory metals or alloys used in extreme terrestrial or extraterrestrial environments.

kinetic Monte Carlo (SPPARKS)↗
NASA NTRS2026

List of Commercial and Advanced Developmental Niobium-Based Alloys of the Space Age

This report compiles a list of commercial and developmental niobium-based alloys developed during the Space Age (late 1950s through mid-1970s) for extreme-temperature applications, including rocket engine thrust chambers, hypersonic re-entry thermal protection systems, and space fission reactor loops. Niobium (Nb) was widely pursued because it provided the lowest density (~8.6 g/cc) among the primary refractory metals, a high melting temperature (~2470°C), exceptional low-temperature ductility, good formability, and compatibility with liquid alkali metals. An evaluation of physical metallurgy mechanisms, focusing on solid-solution strengthening via heavy refractory solutes (W, Mo, Ta), dual-purpose reactive solutes (Hf, Zr, Ti), and dispersion strengthening using carbides, nitrides, and oxides is presented. Additionally, the report compares Western and Soviet Union metallurgical approaches, explaining how supply chain factors and manufacturing infrastructure influenced element selection, interstitial chemistry, and alloy identification/naming conventions. Cataloging these historical alloy chemical compositions serves as a foundational reference for modern alloy additive manufacturing, thermodynamic CALPHAD modeling, and machine-learning discovery pipelines for next-generation extreme-environment niobium-based alloys.

Physical Metallurgy↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fuel injector design for high temperature aircraft engine

The objective of the Innovative High Temperature Aircraft Engine Fuel Nozzle Program was to design and evaluate a nozzle capable of operating at a combustor inlet air temperature of 1600 F (1144 K) and a fuel temperature of 350 F (450 K). The nozzle was designed to meet the same performance requirements and fit within the size envelope of a current production dual orifice fuel nozzle. The design approach was to use improved thermal protection and fuel passage geometry in combination with fuel passage surface treatment to minimize coking at these extreme fuel and air temperatures. Heat transfer models of several fuel injector concepts were used to optimize the thermal protection, while sample tube coking tests were run to evaluate the effect of surface finish, coatings and tube material on the coking rate. Based on heat transfer analysis, additional air gaps, reduced fuel passage flow area and use of ceramic tip components reduced local fuel wetted wall temperatures by more than 200 F (100 K) when compared to a current production fuel nozzle. Sample tube coking test results showed the importance of surface finish on the fuel coking rate. Therefore, a one micro-inch (0.025 micron) roughness was specified for all fuel passage surfaces. A novel flow divider valve in the tip was also employed to reduce weight, allow room for additional thermal protection, and provide back pressure to reduce the risk of fuel vaporization. The fuel nozzle was fabricated and evaluated in a series of high temperature coking tests. Initial results of these tests indicate that thermal protection and surface treatments were partially successful in preventing nozzle fouling, but additional refinement of the internal flowpath is needed to prevent buildup of coke particles that partially blocked the spin slots which meter the nozzle fuel flow.

R. W. Stickles↗
NASA NTRS1984

Reserve Li/SOC12 Battery Safety Testing

A reserve Lithium/Thionyl Chloride Battery concept is developed and undergoing feasibility testing in terms of performance, safety and abusive conditions. The feasibility of employing a battery of this type to replace thermal batteries in certain applications is demonstrated. Excellent performance of a Li/SOCl2 reserve battery is obtained across the temperature range from 0 C to +44 C. Performance improvement over the thermal battery usage is greater by a factor of 3 when discharge time and energy density are compared. Performance over an expanded temperature range is also possible. Safety and abusive testing is accomplished successfully on a series of five units. Further performance improvements can be achieved with regard to battery weight and volume reductions.

Dils, C. T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Boundary Layer Analysis of Shock Tube Flows

Shock tubes offer a controlled environment to reproduce kinetic and radiative phenomena characteristic of atmospheric entry flows under ground-test conditions. The boundary layer developing behind the incident shock wave determines the available test time, influences particle residence times important for similarity scaling, and can affect radiative energy transport. In this study, we couple a quasi-1D space marcher with the compressible boundary-layer equations to numerically compute the post-shock flow in a shock frame of reference for various test gas mixtures representative of different planetary atmospheres. The solvers are individually verified against CFD simulations and analytical correlations available in the literature. Coupled solutions are computed for a finite-rate chemistry in the boundary layer and a non-catalytic isothermal wall. Results yield refined estimates of the maximum separation distance, as well as insights into concentration profiles of relevant species within the boundary layer.

Andrea Fagnani↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Introduction to the JPSS-2 Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) Government Calibration Data Book (GCDB)

The third Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) is an instrument onboard the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), JPSS-2 (renamed NOAA-21 in orbit) mission. This report is to introduce the JPSS-2 Government Calibration Data Book (J2 GCDB) for ATMS, SN 304. This J2 GCDB document contains key information generated during the calibration testing campaign that is driving parameters for radiometric performance. This document also contains supporting data that augments the calibration results. The values in this document are utilized by ATMS’s calibration packet which is, in turn, an integral component in the interpretation of science data. The calibration data in this report was collected from tests such as shelf-level testing, antenna testing, instrument thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing; satellite TVAC testing; and JPSS-2 post-launch tests. JPSS-2 was launched on November 10, 2022. In the subsequent years, the Government will release an ATMS GCDB for each JPSS mission. We expect that all public users can download these ATMS GCDBs from the NOAA operational Integrated Calibration and Validation System (ICVS) website, see more discussions below. The goal of this GCDB is to demonstrate how to characterize ATMS measurements using JPSS-2 ATMS on-orbit operational data and to provide relevant explanations. This document serves as a primary public domain reference for calibrating operational ATMS Raw Data Records (RDR) science data, as used in the current operational Interface Data Processing Segment (IDPS) system. This same RDR science data is distributed through direct broadcast (DB) to DB users for use in their ground processing systems. This J2 GCDB provides the results of the ATMS system radiometric calibration, the antenna flat reflector emissivity [1], the antenna pattern measurements, the antenna pattern corrected brightness temperature [2], the brightness temperature of the lunar disk [3], Lunar Intrusion (LI) correction algorithm [4], receiver spectral parameters, and mechanical alignment on-orbit pointing results, and the striping effect appeared significantly in S-NPP on-orbit radiance data when the data are compared to the Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) simulation in numerical weather prediction (NWP) system [5]. It also provides the parameters required for conversion of telemetry counts to engineering units, for radiometric calibration, and for antenna beam geo-location. Moreover, it provides JPSS-2 ATMS Spectral Response Functions data, some additional information related to ATMS on-orbit performance, on-orbit lunar intrusion correction parameters and Earth contamination bias, and on how to derive ATMS RDR, antenna Temperature Data Records (TDR), and Sensor Data Records (SDR). Furthermore, an introduction of NOAA operational Integrated Calibration and Validation System (ICVS) website and services is added in this J2 GCDB. This ICVS hosts a long-term monitoring system which allows to visualization and comparison of data from JPSS missions, NOAA legacy Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES), and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). From NOAA Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS), the public users can download all JPSS ATMS data products for all JPSS missions.

Microwave Sounder↗
NASA NTRS1977

The Evolution of the Moon and the Terrestrial Planets

The thermal evolutions of the Moon, Mars, Venus, and Mercury are calculated theoretically starting from cosmochemical condensation models. An assortment of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data are used to constrain both the present-day temperatures and the thermal histories of the planets' interiors. Such data imply that the planets were heated during or shortly after formation and that all the terrestrial planets started their differentiations early in their history. Initial temperatures and core formation play the most important roles in the early differentiation. The size of the planet is the primary factor in determining its present-day thermal state. The Moon, smallest in size, is characterized as a differentiated body with a crust, a thick solid mantle, and an interior region which may be partially molten. It is presently cooling rapidly and is relatively inactive tectonically. Mercury, which probably has a large core, may have a 500-km-thick solid lithosphere and a partially molten core, if it is assumed that some heat sources exist in the core. If this is not the case, the planet's interior temperatures are everywhere below the melting curve for iron. The thermal evolution is dominated by the core separation and the high conductivity of iron that makes up the bulk of Mercury. Mars, intermediate in size, is assumed to have differentiated an Fe-FeS core. While the formation of an early crust is evident, large-scale melting and differentiation of the mantle silicates has occurred at least up until 1 b.y. ago. Present-day temperature profiles indicate moderate tectonic activity at the present time. Venus is characterized as a planet not unlike the Earth in many respects. Core formation has occurred probably during the first billion years after the formation. The present-day temperatures indicate a partially molten upper mantle overlain by a 100-km-thick lithosphere and a molten Fe-Ni core. We can expect that today Venus may have tectonic processes similar to the Earth's.

M Nafi Toksöz↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High Temperature Pressure (HTP) Boron Nitride Nanotube (BNNT): Discovery and Commercialization

Future NASA missions for space exploration require key technological elements that must provide sustainability, survivability and operational envelope in extreme environments, such as the high and low extremes in pressures and temperatures, ionizing radiations, chemical and/or physical corrosion, and hypervelocity particles. Advanced multifunctional materials enable revolutionary design schemes for future aerospace vehicles and structures for the extreme environments of NASA missions. Recent studies of nanocomposite materials have shown the potential for both structural integrity and multifunctional capabilities, such as sensing, actuating, health monitoring, radiation shielding, energy harvesting, thermal management, and thermal protection in extreme environments. After the advent of carbon nanotube (CNT) in 1991, scientists predicted that boron and nitrogen, carbons immediate neighbors on the periodic chart, might also form perfect nanotubes, namely boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). The discovery and progress of a new catalyst-free method for synthesizing highly crystalline, very long, and small diameter BNNTs under a high temperature and pressure (HTP) environment have enabled new applications for multifunctional materials. The white color BNNTs offer extraordinary properties including neutron radiation shielding, piezoelectricity, electrostriction, high thermal oxidative stability (>800C in air), not present in CNTs, as well as excellent mechanical strength and toughness, equivalent to CNTs. The characteristics of the BNNTs and their composites along with CNT composites are discussed in this presentation along with their potential aerospace applications in extreme environments.

Cheol Park↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cryogenic Fuel Aviation – Challenges and Opportunities

NASA aeronautics goals include pioneering new technology to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from air travel. The feasibility of using of on-board cryogenic fuels systems in combination with fuel cells, high efficiency engines, and electric motors for high efficiency commercial transport aircraft is being examined at NASA in collaborations with external partners. Growing emphasis on next generation air transportation resulted in the development of strategic investigations into cryogenic fuels aviation, including roadmaps for maturing new technologies, needs to improve testing and manufacturing capabilities, and the requirements for establishing regulatory and certification standards. A NASA cross-organizational multidisciplinary project team is exploring new aircraft architectures, enabling materials, and the engineering challenges associated with cryogenic fuels for aircraft. The engineering challenges include high performance cryogenic, thermal management, and power/propulsion components and subsystems to tackle the challenging problem of development of commercially viable aircraft that would radically transform air transportation.

liquid natural gas↗
NASA NTRS1982

NiCd battery failure analysis

The failure of a nickel cadmium battery undergoing tests is discussed. Reasons for the complete destruction of the battery while undergoing preparation for thermal vacuum testing are given.

Sense, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Summary of Research Report

Ten papers, published in various publications, on buckling, and the effects of imperfections on various structures are presented. These papers are: (1) Buckling mode localization in elastic plates due to misplacement in the stiffner location; (2) On vibrational imperfection sensitivity on Augusti's model structure in the vicinity of a non-linear static state; (3) Imperfection sensitivity due to elastic moduli in the Roorda Koiter frame; (4) Buckling mode localization in a multi-span periodic structure with a disorder in a single span; (5) Prediction of natural frequency and buckling load variability due to uncertainty in material properties by convex modeling; (6) Derivation of multi-dimensional ellipsoidal convex model for experimental data; (7) Passive control of buckling deformation via Anderson localization phenomenon; (8)Effect of the thickness and initial im perfection on buckling on composite cylindrical shells: asymptotic analysis and numerical results by BOSOR4 and PANDA2; (9) Worst case estimation of homology design by convex analysis; (10) Buckling of structures with uncertain imperfections - Personal perspective.

Isaac Elishakoff↗
NASA NTRS2026

Decoupling Surface Topography from Gravitational Acceleration in Cryogenic Pool Boiling

Boiling heat transfer is governed by a complex interplay between surface conditions and gravitational acceleration. To isolate the sole effects of gravity, we investigated the pool boiling characteristics of liquid nitrogen on atomically smooth silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) surfaces under terrestrial (1-g) and reduced gravity (0±0.02 g) conditions achieved via parabolic flight. Our results quantify a drastic reduction in the critical heat flux (CHF) in reduced gravity, decreasing from 16.15 W/cm 2 at 1-g to 5−6 W/cm 2 at μ-g due to the suppression of buoyancy. Conversely, we observed a distinct increase in the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) in the reduced gravity condition prior to CHF. By utilizing a surface with a maximum peak-to-valley height of ≈36.7 nm and low contact angle hysteresis (<10°), we confirm this HTC enhancement is an intrinsic response to the gravitational environment, decoupled from surface-defect-induced nucleation. These findings demonstrate that the influence of surface topography is significantly more prominent in reduced gravity than in terrestrial conditions, providing a critical baseline for rationalizing the design of cryogenic thermal management systems in space and quantum applications.

Liquid nitrogen↗
NASA NTRS1994

New Trends in Coatings Developments for Turbine Blades: Materials Processing and Repair

Turbine engines for aeronautic applications now have to face strenuous requirements concerning not only operating performances but also reliability and repairability. This evolution of the specifications induces important consequences regarding the choice and the design of turbine blade protective coatings. This paper presents several key features concerning the deposition techniques and the real-life behavior of such coatings: (1) complex aluminides well suited to the protection against high temperature oxidation and hot corrosion of directionally solidified nickel-base superalloy turbine blades; (2) ceramic coatings used as thermal barriers - they have to exhibit both high resistance to thermomechanical fatigue and adequate smoothness; (3) processing techniques for thermal barriers, including plasma spraying, electron beam physical vapor deposition and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition; and (4) blades and coatings repair techniques.

S Alpérine↗
NASA NTRS1998

"Long Life" Dc Brush Motor for Use on the Mars Surveyor Program

DC brush motors have several qualities which make them very attractive for space flight applications. Their mechanical commutation is simple and lightweight, requiring no external sensing and control in order to function properly. They are extremely efficient in converting electrical energy into mechanical energy. Efficiencies over 80% are not uncommon, resulting in high power throughput to weight ratios. However, the inherent unreliability and short life of sliding electrical contacts, especially in vacuum, have driven previous programs to utilize complex brushless DC or the less efficient stepper motors. The Mars Surveyor Program (MSP'98) and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) have developed a reliable "long life" brush type DC motor for operation in low temperature, low pressure CO2 and N2, utilizing silver-graphite brushes. The original intent was to utilize this same motor for SRTM's space operation, but the results thus far have been unsatisfactory in vacuum. This paper describes the design, test, and results of this development.

David Braun↗
NASA NTRS1985

Report of the Microbial Development Working Group

In formulating ideas on the relationship of gravity to the development, growth, and reproduction of microorganisms, a rather liberal definition of microorganisms is used which includes bacteria, yeasts, protists, filamentous fungi, and single cells in culture. A principal advantage of microorganisms as experimental subjects is the rigor with which they can be defined and controlled. As single cells, each cell may be regarded as identical to the others in the population. This property applies to the morphology, physiology, and genetic parameters of the cells. The growth and development of the population is subject to precise manipulation as the nutritional requirements are known and minimal media formulations have been developed. Growth and differentiation can be manipulated in a variety of ways, such as alteration of the culture temperature and food supply, or by use of mutants. Finally, the short generation times of microorganisms provide the opportunity to conduct multigenerational studies within practical time limits and, in a similar vein, cellular responses to various stimuli or stresses are conveniently monitored because of the rapid response times of single cells.

G Nelson↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Icy Worlds: Moving and Grooving

Reports from the conference session entitled Icy Worlds: Moving and Grooving, include:Mass Anomalies on Ganymede; Europan Chaos and Lenticulae: A Synthesis of Size, Spacing, and Areal Density Analyses; Thermal and Topographic Tests of Europa Chaos Formation Models; Flexure of Europa s Lithosphere Due to Ridge-Loading; Ridges on Europa: Origin by Incremental Ice-Wedging ; Convergent Boundaries on Europa: a Numerical Approach to Euler Pole Analysis and Its' Implications for Plate Reconstruction; Numerical Simulations of Subsolidus Convection in the Ice Shell of Europa: Implications for the Thermal Evolution and Present State; Effects of Plasticity on Convection in an Ice Shell: Implications for Europa; Non-Newtonian Convection and Compositional Buoyancy: Advances in Modeling Convection and Dome Formation on Europa; Convective Instability in Ice I: Application to Callisto and Ganymede; Crater Size Distributions on Callisto: A Galileo SSI Summary; Neutron Diffraction Studies of Planetary Ices; and H2O2 Synthesis Induced by Irradiation of H2O with Energetic H+ and Ar+ Ions at Various Temperatures.

Source record↗