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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Recipe for Success: Digital Viewables

The Engineering Services Contract (ESC) and Information Management Communication Support contract (IMCS) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) provide services to NASA in respect to flight and ground systems design and development. These groups provides the necessary tools, aid, and best practice methodologies required for efficient, optimized design and process development. The team is responsible for configuring and implementing systems, software, along with training, documentation, and administering standards. The team supports over 200 engineers and design specialists with the use of Windchill, Creo Parametric, NX, AutoCAD, and a variety of other design and analysis tools.

design and process development↗
NASA NTRS1994

An analysis of cost overruns on defense acquisition contracts

This article examines the history of cost overruns reported on 64 completed defense contracts. Its purpose is to formally test the observation of the Under Secretary. Results confirm the observation at the 95 percent level of confidence, and were generally insensitive to the contract type (price, cost), the contract phase (development, production), the type of weapon system (air, ground, sea), and the armed forces service (Air Force, Army, Navy) that managed the contract. After a review of terminology, concepts, and related research for those unfamiliar with the area, the methodology, results, and managerial implications are described.

Christensen, David S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A technique for lowering risks during contract negotiations

In this day and age of sophisticated weapon and space system procurements, negotiations of the statement of work, technical requirements, and schedule may be as protracted as the negotiation of costs and profit. A major problem facing the program manager during contract negotiations is what affect changes in schedule, technical requirements, and contract terms have on the price. In many instances, after the statement of work has been redrafted, the contractor will be obliged to reprice the work, either on the spot or after a short recess in the negotiations. In this paper, a method for organizing the negotiation process is presented to reduce the risks incurred by the seller. The method is built upon regression analysis and two illustrative examples of its use are provided.

Lehman, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Ion Thruster Used to Propel the Deep Space 1 Spacecraft to Comet Encounters

The NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Applications Readiness (NSTAR) Project provided a xenon ion propulsion system to the Deep Space 1 (DS1) spacecraft to validate the propulsion system as well as perform primary propulsion for asteroid and comet encounters. The On-Board Propulsion Branch of the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field developed engineering model versions of the 30-cm-diameter ion thruster and the 2.5-kW power processor unit (PPU). Glenn then transferred the thruster and PPU technologies to Hughes Electron Dynamics and managed the contract, which supplied two flight sets of thrusters and PPU s to the Deep Space 1 spacecraft and to a ground-based life verification test at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In addition to managing the DS1 spacecraft development, JPL was responsible for the NSTAR Project management, thruster life tests, the feed system, diagnostics, and propulsion subsystem integration. The ion propulsion development team included NASA Glenn, JPL, Hughes Electronics, Moog Inc., and Spectrum Astro Inc. The overall NSTAR subsystem dry mass, including thruster, PPU, controller, cables, and the xenon storage and feed system, is 48 kg. The mass of the xenon stored onboard DS1 was about 81 kg, and the spacecraft wet mass was approximately 500 kg.The DS1 spacecraft was launched on October 24, 1998, and on July 29, 1999, it flew within 16 miles of the small asteroid Braille (formerly 1992KD) at a relative speed of 35,000 mph. As of November 1999, the ion propulsion system had performed flawlessly for nearly 149 days of thrusting. NASA has approved an extension to the mission, which will allow DS1 to continue thrusting to encounters with two comets in 2001. The DS1 optical and plasma diagnostic instruments will be used to investigate the comet and space environments. The spacecraft is scheduled to fly past the dormant comet Wilson- Harrington in January 2001 and the very active comet Borrelly in September 2001, at which time approximately 500 days of ion engine thrusting will have been completed.

Sovey, James S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Organizational Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Update Statement (FY2019)

The National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS) Prime Contract department manages an organizational conflicts of interest (OCI) program that is designed to provide NTESS employees an accessible means to assist in identifying potential OCI risk and providing development support services to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate the risk. The OCI program is responsible for maintaining a regulatory infrastructure, such as corporate OCI policy and training content, to comply with NTESS's obligations set forth in prime contract clauses H-4: ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST (OCI) — SPECIAL PROVISION and Section I Department of Energy Acquisition Regulation 952.209-72, Organizational Conflicts of Interest, Alternate I, paragraph (c)(1), Disclosure After Award. Risk identification is a key OCI program priority. Providing employees with a straight-forward, accessible and navigable mechanism to identify potential OCI risk will assist the OCI program in meeting this priority.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulating Secure Data Exchange and Storage for Urban Air Mobility Environments

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) defines an environment for managing operations of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) vehicles in an urban environment. Within a UAM environment, UAM operators manage fleets of vehicles, relying on Providers of Services for UAM (PSUs) for managing flights in a region of airspace. Flight plan deconfliction is primarily performed by the Discovery and Synchronization Service (DSS), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains control over the UAM space via the FAA-Industry Exchange Protocol (FIDXP). UAM is a federated environment with many different entities owning and operating vehicles, PSUs, and other services. These entities often need to interoperate or access data generated by other organizations. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using blockchain to facilitate a secure data exchange and storage for this flight information in a UAM environment. In particular, this paper is focused on flight plans and telemetry data. A blockchain network was developed with a set of smart contracts for managing relevant flight data. Hyperledger Fabric was chosen as it is performent, scalable, and allows organizations to reuse existing public key infrastructure (PKI) for identity management. A set of simulated UAM services were also developed. These services propose flight plans and negotiate with other UAM services for airspace access. All interactions between UAM services, as well as vehicle telemetry data, is recorded onto the blockchain. Vehicle telemetry data is generated by a vehicle flight simulation service. This paper successfully demonstrates the feasibility of using blockchain as a secure data exchange and storage mechanism in a UAM environment.

UAM↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Annual Sustainability Report 2023

ORNL, managed under contract by UT-Battelle LLC, is DOE’s largest science and energy laboratory and, as such, executes the widest range of mission capabilities. Diverse expertise spans a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines, enabling research and science achievements to accelerate the delivery of solutions to the marketplace. ORNL supports DOE’s national missions of scientific discovery, clean energy, and security. To execute these activities, ORNL has grown significantly over 80 years of continuous operations, consisting of facilities with commissioning dates ranging from the 1940s to the present—an extraordinary set of distinctive scientific facilities and equipment. The complexities of such a variety of facilities require teamwork among divisions, a wide variety of conservation projects, and creative strategies to achieve the desired energy and water savings. Such a diverse and unique set of major facilities, totaling over 5.5 million square feet, with 6,000 employees, requires an innovative plan to accomplish advancements in operational efficiencies. ORNL is tasked with the management of an extraordinary set of distinctive scientific facilities and equipment for DOE. ORNL is mission-driven, and its mission has grown substantially over the decades. ORNL’s core research capabilities provide broad science and technology support for DOE in the areas of energy, environment, and national security. Currently, ORNL is a world leader in materials, neutron, and nuclear science and engineering, and in high-performance computing and data analytics. ORNL’s vast portfolio of research facilities must be maintained and carefully upgraded to protect the nation’s investment in scientific analysis. The goal of sustainable and resilient operations is to enable more effective execution of ORNL’s science and technology mission. Sustainable operational practices and enhanced resilience strive for excellent results while remaining diligent in energy conservation, environmental stewardship, asset management, and community engagement. The Sustainable ORNL Program (Sustainable ORNL) Continuous improvements in operational and business processes must be integrated into the fabric of the ORNL culture to maximize the return from the investment made in modernizing facilities and equipment. The Sustainable ORNL program promotes the legacy of system-wide best practices, management commitment, and employee engagement that will lead ORNL into a future of efficient, resilient, and sustainable operations. ORNL leadership and Sustainable ORNL champions receive regular status reports on the progress of each project and focus area (i.e., roadmap) and periodic summary reports. More information can be found at the program’s website. The Sustainable ORNL roadmap structure endorses 15 vital roadmaps. The figure below summarizes the current project assignments and demonstrates that each project contributes to the wellbeing of the whole. Continuous employee engagement and regular status reports confirm the ideals of the program. The roadmap structure is not static; as the science mission advances and the needs of the organization evolve, the Sustainable ORNL roadmap structure elements are modified to align with developing priorities. In 2022, Sustainable ORNL made roadmap changes to better align ORNL to support new federal requirements that have been issued.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1993

Management of government quality assurance functions for NASA contracts

This handbook sets forth requirements for NASA direction and management of government quality assurance functions performed for NASA contracts and is applicable to all NASA installations. These requirements will standardize management to provide the minimum oversight and effective use of resources. This handbook implements Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 46, NASA FAR Supplement 18-46, Quality Assurance, and NMI 7410.1. Achievement of established quality and reliability goals at all levels is essential to the success of NASA programs. Active participation by NASA and other agency quality assurance personnel in all phases of contract operations, including precontract activity, will assist in the economic and timely achievement of program results. This involves broad participation in design, development, procurement, inspection, testing, and preventive and corrective actions. Consequently, government, as well as industry, must place strong emphasis on the accomplishment of all functions having a significant bearing on quality and reliability from program initiation through end-use of supplies and services produced. For purposes of implementing NASA and other agency agreements, and to provide for uniformity and consistency, the terminology and definitions prescribed herein and in a future handbook shall be utilized for all NASA quality assurance delegations and subsequent redelegations.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2022

LLNS Request for Variance from 10 CFR 851 for Construction of LLNL Digital Infrastructure Capabilities Expansion Project

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) requests variance to 10 CFR 851 (the Rule) for the construction of the Digital Infrastructure Capabilities Expansion (DICE) project. The request isin continued support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) “pilot” to streamline the delivery of commercial-like line-item construction projects under $50 million. This pilot is aligned with the approved NA-50 safety approach. Experience gained in the construction of the new Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Emergency Operations Facility (EOC) under the variance granted in June 2020 is very encouraging. While detailed analysis will be forthcoming after that project is completed, there are strong indicators that a benefit has been realized by the subcontractors executing the work. The variance has permitted local/regional construction businesses contracted to Management & Operation contractor operated facilities and lower tier subcontractors to bid, operate, execute, and comply with safety and health standards they utilize in their business outside of the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. While compliance to standards that are as safe and healthful as those in 10 CFR 851: confusion, additional cost, and inefficiencies associated with the burden of compliance to an unfamiliar regulatory spectrum has been avoided. Safety and health performance on the EOC construction project including the number of inspection and surveillance issues is comparable to other subcontractors and projects at LLNL executed under 10 CFR 851.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2020

LLNS Request for Variance From 10 CFR 851 for Construction of LLNL Emergency Operations Center

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) is submitting the following variance application requesting the use of the State of California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) Regulations in lieu of Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 851 (10 CFR 851, the Rule), Worker Safety and Health Program, Subpart B (Program Requirements), Subpart C (Specific Program Requirements), and Appendix A (Worker Safety and Health Functional Areas), solely with respect to the construction of the new Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility. The request is in support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) “pilot” to streamline the delivery of commercial-like line item construction projects under $50 million. This pilot is aligned with the approved NA-50 safety approach for the projects in the pilot. This pilot is to test and demonstrate innovation leading to a reduced cost of construction for building commercial type structures at Department of Energy (DOE)/NNSA facilities. The variance proposes to permit local/regional construction businesses contracted to Management & Operation contractor operated facilities to bid, operate, execute, and comply with safety and health standards they utilize in their business outside of the DOE Complex. This will permit compliance to standards that are as safe and healthful as those in 10 CFR 851 without confusion, additional cost, and inefficiencies associated with the burden of compliance to an unfamiliar regulatory spectrum.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

LLNS Request for Permanent Variance from 10 CFR 851 for Construction

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS) requests variance from 10 CFR 851 (the Rule) for construction work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The request is based upon successful application of similar variances granted to LLNS in continued support of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) initiative to streamline the delivery of line-item construction projects under $50 million. This request is aligned with the approved NA 50 safety approach. Experience gained in the construction of the new LLNL Emergency Operations Center (EOC) under the variance granted in June 2020 and construction preparations to date on the Digital Infrastructure Capabilities Expansion (DICE) under the variance granted April 2022 is very encouraging. There are strong indicators that a benefit has been realized by both the subcontractors executing the work and the Laboratory. The variance has permitted local/regional construction businesses contracted to Management & Operation Contractor operated facilities and lower tier subcontractors to bid, operate, execute, and comply with safety and health standards they utilize in their business outside of the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. While compliance to standards that are as safe and healthful as those in 10 CFR 851: confusion, additional cost, and inefficiencies associated with the burden of compliance to an unfamiliar regulatory spectrum has been avoided. Safety and health performance on the construction project including the number of inspection and surveillance issues is comparable to other subcontractors and projects at LLNL executed under 10 CFR 851. This variance application was prepared according to the requirements in 10 CFR 851, Subpart D – Variances, § 851.31 Variance Process. This request is limited to subcontractor executed construction at LLNL.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Securing Digital Energy Infrastructure: Procurement, Contracting, and Supply Chain Risk Management Guidance

Recognizing the scale of this industry challenge, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) and Cybersecurity Energy Security & Emergency Response office have launched a multi-year BESS supply chain security initiative to identify consequence-driven approaches to addressing BESS supply chain security and provide resources to support prioritization of supply chain security efforts associated with the procurement of BESS equipment and services. This guide is one element of the supporting resources to be provided and sets forth a framework and guidance for procurement bidding, selection, risk analysis, and agreements stakeholders can implement to mitigate cybersecurity risks across the entirety of battery system component ecosystem, including the interconnected software and hardware required for control and monitoring BESSs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1984

A vectorized molecule code

The vectorization of the computational chemistry code, MOLECULE, is discussed. Computational simplifications of molecular integrals, memory management, and contraction schemes are addressed and a brief guide for users is included.

Almloef, J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Miniature Optical Wide-Angle-Lens Startracker (Mini-OWLS)

This paper provides a brief overview of the design considerations and the current status of the Miniature Optical Wide-Angle Lens Startracker Program. Mini-OWLS offers a revolutionary alternative to the conventional startracker. It is a small, lightweight, low cost, high performance startracker that can be used in a variety of applications including calibration and alignment of Inertial Measurement Units (IMU's) Mini-OWLS makes use of a strap down design incorporating Holographic Optical Elements (HOES) in place of conventional optics. HOES can be multiplexed so that the same aperture can be used for multiple separate optical paths looking in several directions simultaneously without startracker rotation. Additionally, separate Schmidt corrector plates are not required to compensate for spherical aberration. The optical assembly, or what would normally be considered as the telescope, is less than 20 cc in volume, weighs less than 55 grams, and contains the equivalent of three individual telescopes. Each one has a 4 deg Field of View (FOV) with a field of regard of 48 square degrees. Mini-OWLS has a bandwidth of approximately 300 nm in or near the visible wavelength. The projected resolution of the startracker is 5 to 10 arcseconds, depending on the centroiding algorithm used. The Mini-OWLS program was initiated last year and represents a miniaturized version of a similar design for aeronautical applications. The contract is managed by Wright Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, with funding from the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization through Eglin AFB. The initial phase of the program is to build and test a development unit. The second phase is to integrate the startracker with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Micromechanical Inertial Guidance System (MIGS) and the Signal Processing Packaging Design (SPPD) being developed by Texas Instruments. The preliminary design review was conducted in November 1991. Three-axes prototype telescope assemblies have been built and design evaluation tests initiated.

Miller, Rick↗
NASA NTRS1987

Wetlands Survey

Ducks Unlimited, Inc. is dedicated to preservation of the world's waterfowl. Current inventories of wetland resources are crucial to effective waterfowl management. They contracted with NASA to use data from the LANDSAT satellites Thematic Mapper (TM), an advanced Earth scanning instrument that collects data in seven bands of the spectrum utilizing the Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software (ELAS). The TM measures and records six values of light energy reflected from Earth and one value of heat energy as it scans the Earth below. On each orbital sweep, sensors produce a series of digital scenes representing features of Earth segments measuring about 100 by 110 miles, each scene covering about eight million acres, and each containing some 40 million bits of information called picture elements or pixels. They are computer processed and the resulting mosaic is projected on a digital display device.

Source record↗