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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 NTRS1978

Determination of the pure silicon monocarbide content of silicon carbide and products based on silicon carbide

Experience has shown that different methods of analysis of SiC products give different results. Methods identified as AFNOR, FEPA, and manufacturer P, currently used to detect SiC, free C, free Si, free Fe, and SiO2 are reviewed. The AFNOR method gives lower SiC content, attributed to destruction of SiC by grinding. Two products sent to independent labs for analysis by the AFNOR and FEPA methods showed somewhat different results, especially for SiC, SiO2, and Al2O3 content, whereas an X-ray analysis showed a SiC content approximately 10 points lower than by chemical methods.

Prost, L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Rapid Active Sampling Package

A field-deployable, battery-powered Rapid Active Sampling Package (RASP), originally designed for sampling strong materials during lunar and planetary missions, shows strong utility for terrestrial geological use. The technology is proving to be simple and effective for sampling and processing materials of strength. Although this originally was intended for planetary and lunar applications, the RASP is very useful as a powered hand tool for geologists and the mining industry to quickly sample and process rocks in the field on Earth. The RASP allows geologists to surgically acquire samples of rock for later laboratory analysis. This tool, roughly the size of a wrench, allows the user to cut away swaths of weathering rinds, revealing pristine rock surfaces for observation and subsequent sampling with the same tool. RASPing deeper (.3.5 cm) exposes single rock strata in-situ. Where a geologist fs hammer can only expose unweathered layers of rock, the RASP can do the same, and then has the added ability to capture and process samples into powder with particle sizes less than 150 microns, making it easier for XRD/XRF (x-ray diffraction/x-ray fluorescence). The tool uses a rotating rasp bit (or two counter-rotating bits) that resides inside or above the catch container. The container has an open slot to allow the bit to extend outside the container and to allow cuttings to enter and be caught. When the slot and rasp bit are in contact with a substrate, the bit is plunged into it in a matter of seconds to reach pristine rock. A user in the field may sample a rock multiple times at multiple depths in minutes, instead of having to cut out huge, heavy rock samples for transport back to a lab for analysis. Because of the speed and accuracy of the RASP, hundreds of samples can be taken in one day. RASP-acquired samples are small and easily carried. A user can characterize more area in less time than by using conventional methods. The field-deployable RASP used a Ni/Cad rechargeable battery. Power usage was less than 1 Wh/ cm3 even when sampling strong basalts, so many samples could be taken on a single battery charge.

Peters, Gregory↗
NASA NTRS1973

Sortie laboratory, phase B technical summary

The design and operational requirements which evolved from Sortie Lab (SL) analysis are summarized. A source of requirements for systems is given along with experimental support for the SL, baseline. Basic design data covered include: configuration definition, mission analysis, experimental integration, safety, and logistics. A technical summary outlines characteristics which reflect the influence of the growth in SL capability and the results of the mission and operational analysis. Each of the selected areas is described in terms of objectives, equipment, operational concept, and support requirements.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Laboratory

Definition of laboratory data; sources of data and data volume, required support documentation for lab data; urgency of building a computerized archieve; software needed for management of lab data; analysis of data; and location and access to the data archive are discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2014

Supporting Multiple Programs and Projects at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

With the conclusion of the shuttle program in 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had found itself at a crossroads for finding transportation of United States astronauts and experiments to space. The agency would eventually hand off the taxiing of American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) that orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) about 210 miles above the earth under the requirements of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP). By privatizing the round trip journey from Earth to the ISS, the space agency has been given the additional time to focus funding and resources to projects that operate beyond LEO; however, adding even more stress to the agency, the premature cancellation of the program that would succeed the Shuttle Program - The Constellation Program (CxP) -it would inevitably delay the goal to travel beyond LEO for a number of years. Enter the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). Currently, the SLS is under development at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, while the Orion Capsule, built by government contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation, has been assembled and is currently under testing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. In its current vision, SLS will take Orion and its crew to an asteroid that had been captured in an earlier mission in lunar orbit. Additionally, this vehicle and its configuration is NASA's transportation to Mars. Engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are currently working to test the ground systems that will facilitate the launch of Orion and the SLS within its Ground Services Development and Operations (GSDO) Program. Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center (LCC) has been refurbished and outfitted to support the SLS Program. In addition, the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is the underlying control system for monitoring and launching manned launch vehicles. As NASA finds itself at a junction, so does all of its associated centers across the US. KSC has found itself at the blunt end of change as the entire center has transitioned from an operations mindset to a development mentality. The author of this paper has had the fortunate privilege and opportunity to be part of a transforming NASA during the fall months of 2014. The following is a high level account of projects that he had the chance to work on including the Spaceport Command and Control System, the Advanced Ground System and Maintenance Program Project, Customer Avionics Development & Analysis (CAIDA) Lab and Swamp Works.

Advanced Ground System Maintenance↗
NASA NTRS2017

Launch Control Network Engineer

The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) is being built at the Kennedy Space Center in order to successfully launch NASA’s revolutionary vehicle that allows humans to explore further into space than ever before. During my internship, I worked with the Network, Firewall, and Hardware teams that are all contributing to the huge SCCS network project effort. I learned the SCCS network design and the several concepts that are running in the background. I also updated and designed documentation for physical networks that are part of SCCS. This includes being able to assist and build physical installations as well as configurations. I worked with the network design for vehicle telemetry interfaces to the Launch Control System (LCS); this allows the interface to interact with other systems at other NASA locations. This network design includes the Space Launch System (SLS), Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), and the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). I worked on the network design and implementation in the Customer Avionics Interface Development and Analysis (CAIDA) lab.

Medeiros, Samantha↗
NASA NTRS2003

Mars Surveyor Program '01 Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment wet chemistry lab: a sensor array for chemical analysis of the Martian soil

The Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA) instrument was designed, built, and flight qualified for the now canceled MSP (Mars Surveyor Program) '01 Lander. The MECA package consisted of a microscope, electrometer, material patch plates, and a wet chemistry laboratory (WCL). The primary goal of MECA was to analyze the Martian soil (regolith) for possible hazards to future astronauts and to provide a better understanding of Martian regolith geochemistry. The purpose of the WCL was to analyze for a range of soluble ionic chemical species and electrochemical parameters. The heart of the WCL was a sensor array of electrochemically based ion-selective electrodes (ISE). After 20 months storage at -23 degrees C and subsequent extended freeze/thawing cycles, WCL sensors were evaluated to determine both their physical durability and analytical responses. A fractional factorial calibration of the sensors was used to obtain slope, intercept, and all necessary selectivity coefficients simultaneously for selected ISEs. This calibration was used to model five cation and three anion sensors. These data were subsequently used to determine concentrations of several ions in two soil leachate simulants (based on terrestrial seawater and hypothesized Mars brine) and four actual soil samples. The WCL results were compared to simulant and soil samples using ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The results showed that flight qualification and prolonged low-temperature storage conditions had minimal effects on the sensors. In addition, the analytical optimization method provided quantitative and qualitative data that could be used to accurately identify the chemical composition of the simulants and soils. The WCL has the ability to provide data that can be used to "read" the chemical, geological, and climatic history of Mars, as well as the potential habitability of its regolith.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cryogenic mirror analysis

Due to extraordinary distances scanned by modern telescopes, optical surfaces in such telescopes must be manufactured to unimaginable standards of perfection of a few thousandths of a centimeter. The detection of imperfections of less than 1/20 of a wavelength of light, for application in the building of the mirror for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, was undertaken. Because the mirror must be kept very cold while in space, another factor comes into effect: cryogenics. The process to test a specific morror under cryogenic conditions is described; including the follow-up analysis accomplished through computer work. To better illustrate the process and analysis, a Pyrex Hex-Core mirror is followed through the process from the laser interferometry in the lab, to computer analysis via a computer program called FRINGE. This analysis via FRINGE is detailed.

Nagy, S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Analysis of ocular torsion data from Space Labs D-1 and SL-1

A series of preflight, inflight, and postflight vestibular experiments were conducted on Spacelab missions SL-1 and D-1. Two portions of the investigation, the 'sled' and 'dome' functional objectives, involved recording the torsional motion of human subject's eyes. In the SL-1 sled and dome experiments, preflight and postflight ocular torsion was recorded on 35 mm film using a Nikon motor driven camera (2.6 frames/sec). The film was to be analyzed by measuring the motion of contact lens landmarks using a Hermes senior film scanner. However, an inflight failure of the dome experiment camera flash unit led the crew to utilize the Spacelab video camera as an alternative contingency method for imaging the eye in this FO. A suitable method for analysis of the video data was developed. Results of the analysis are presented.

Oman, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS2020

ExCALiBR: An Instrument for Uncovering the Origin of the Moon’s Organics.

Lipids are organic molecules of great astrobiological interest for future NASA missions to the Moon, Mars and Icy Worlds. Lipids are essential for life as we know it, and likely also required for putative extraterrestrial organisms. These robust organics can be synthesized abiotically and survive for long periods of geological time. Laboratory characterization techniques are well established but are laborious, operator dependent, and require large volumes of consumables, precluding in situ analysis. We are developing an autonomous, miniaturized fluidic system, integrating lab techniques for lipid analysis while minimizing rea-gent volumes and concentrating organics for analysis, thereby increasing signal-to-noise ratios by orders of magnitude. This system, the Extractor for Chemical Analysis of Lipid Biomarkers in Regolith (ExCALiBR), will enable future organic surveys by extracting and concentrating lipids from approximately 50 grams of regolith using a fluidic and microfluidic sample processor made of materials compatible with non-aqueous solvents required for extraction. ExCAL-iBR can be deployed on a lander or used on a crewed mission.

M B Wilhelm↗
NASA NTRS1986

Prototyping and implementing flight qualifiable semicustom CMOS P-well bulk integrated circuits in the JPL environment

Presently, there are many difficulties associated with implementing application specific custom or semi-custom (standard cell based) integrated circuits (ICs) into JPL flight projects. One of the primary difficulties is developing prototype semi-custom integrated circuits for use and evaluation in engineering prototype flight hardware. The prototype semi-custom ICs must be extremely cost-effective and yet still representative of flight qualifiable versions of the design. A second difficulty is encountered in the transport of the design from engineering prototype quality to flight quality. Normally, flight quality integrated circuits have stringent quality standards, must be radiation resistant and should consume minimal power. It is often not necessary or cost effective, however, to impose such stringent quality standards on engineering models developed for systems analysis in controlled lab environments. This article presents work originally initiated for ground based applications that also addresses these two problems. Furthermore, this article suggests a method that has been shown successful in prototyping flight quality semi-custom ICs through the Metal Oxide Semiconductor Implementation Service (MOSIS) program run by the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute. The method has been used successfully to design and fabricate through the MOSIS three different semi-custom prototype CMOS p-well chips. The three designs make use of the work presented and were designed consistent with design techniques and structures that are flight qualifiable, allowing one hour transfer of the design from engineering model status to flight qualifiable foundry-ready status through methods outlined in this article.

Olson, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Plasma processing of interstellar PAHs into solar system kerogen

Processes resulting in the formation of hydrocarbons of carbonaceous chondrites and the identity of the interstellar molecular precursors involved are an objective of investigations into the origin of the solar system and perhaps even life on earth. We have combined the resources and experience of an astronomer and physicists doing laboratory simulations with those of a chemical expert in the analysis of meteoritic hydrocarbons, in a project that investigated the conversion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) formed in stellar atmospheres into alkanes found in meteorites. Plasma hydrogenation has been found in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Astrophysics Laboratory to produce from the precursor PAH naphthalene, a new material having an IR absorption spectrum (Lee, W. and Wdowiak, T.J., Astrophys. J. 417, L49-L51, 1993) remarkably similar to that obtained at Arizona State University of the benzene-methanol extract of the Murchison meteorite (Cronin, J.R. and Pizzarello, S., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 54, 2859-2868, 1990). There are astrophysical and meteoritic arguments for PAH species from extra-solar sources being incorporated into the solar nebula, where plasma hydrogenation is highly plausible. Conversion of PAHs into alkanes could also have occurred in the interstellar medium. The synthesis of laboratory analogs of meteoritic hydrocarbons through plasma hydrogenation of PAH species is underway, as is chemical analysis of those analogs. The objective is to clarify this heretofore uninvestigated process and to understand its role during the origin of the solar system as a mechanism of production of hydrocarbon species now found in meteorites. Results have been obtained in the form of time-of-flight spectroscopy and chemical analysis of the lab analog prepared from naphthalene.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2008

Martian Chronology and Atmospheric Composition: In Situ Measurements versus Sample Return

I examine two significant issues of martian science from the point of view of in situ measurements by robotic spacecraft versus sample return and analysis in terrestrial labs. (1) To define martian history, ages of geological processes and surface features are required. Estimated ages from surface crater densities have limitations, and the ages measured for martian meteorites cannot be associated with specific martian locales. Whereas returned martian rocks could be accurately dated, some have suggested sending a robotic spacecraft to Mars to measure rock ages using the classical K- Ar-40 technique, considered the easiest to implement. (2) To understand the evolution of the martian atmosphere and its interactions with the surface, requires precise measurements of atmospheric composition. A significant amount of information has derived from measurements by Viking and of martian meteorites. Instrumentation on the Mars Science Lander (MSL) spacecraft to be launched in the near future promises to determine atmospheric composition even more precisely. If MSL is successful, which questions about atmospheric composition will remain and thus will require atmospheric sample return to answer?

Bogard, Donald D.↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Multispectral Micro-Imager for Lunar Field Geology

Field geologists routinely assign rocks to one of three basic petrogenetic categories (igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic) based on microtextural and mineralogical information acquired with a simple magnifying lens. Indeed, such observations often comprise the core of interpretations of geological processes and history. The Multispectral Microscopic Imager (MMI) uses multi-wavelength, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a substrate-removed InGaAs focal-plane array to create multispectral, microscale reflectance images of geological samples (FOV 32 X 40 mm). Each pixel (62.5 microns) of an image is comprised of 21 spectral bands that extend from 470 to 1750 nm, enabling the discrimination of a wide variety of rock-forming minerals, especially Fe-bearing phases. MMI images provide crucial context information for in situ robotic analyses using other onboard analytical instruments (e.g. XRD), or for the selection of return samples for analysis in terrestrial labs. To further assess the value of the MMI as a tool for lunar exploration, we used a field-portable, tripod-mounted version of the MMI to image a variety of Apollo samples housed at the Lunar Experiment Laboratory, NASA s Johnson Space Center. MMI images faithfully resolved the microtextural features of samples, while the application of ENVI-based spectral end member mapping methods revealed the distribution of Fe-bearing mineral phases (olivine, pyroxene and magnetite), along with plagioclase feldspars within samples. Samples included a broad range of lithologies and grain sizes. Our MMI-based petrogenetic interpretations compared favorably with thin section-based descriptions published in the Lunar Sample Compendium, revealing the value of MMI images for astronaut and rover-mediated lunar exploration.

Nunez, Jorge↗
NASA NTRS2003

Assessment of Air Quality in the International Space Station (ISS) and Space Shuttle Based on Samples Returned Aboard STS-ll1 (UF2) in June 2002

The toxicological assessments of grab sample canisters (GSCs) and 2 solid sorbent air samplers (SSASs) returned aboard STS-111 are reported. Analytical methods have not changed from earlier reports. Surrogate standard recoveries from the GSCs were 86-106% and 62% to 136 % from the SSASs; 2 tubes with low surrogate recoveries were not reported. Pressure tracking indicated no leaks in the canisters during analysis. Recoveries from lab and trip controls for formaldehyde analyses ranged from 87 to 96%. The two general criteria used to assess air quality are the total-non-methane-volatile organic hydrocarbons (NMVOCs) and the total T-value (minus the CO2 and formaldehyde contributions). Because of the inertness of Freon 218 (octafluoropropane, OFP), Its contribution to the NMVOC is subtracted and tabulated separately. Control of atmospheric alcohols is important to the water recovery system engineers, hence total alcohols (including acetone) are also shown for each sample. Because formaldehyde is quantified from sorbent badges, its concentration is listed separately. The table shows that the air quality in general was acceptable for crew respiration; however, certain values shown in bold require further explanation. The 1.05 T value on 2/28/02 was caused by an unusually high measurement ofhexamethylcyc1otrisiloxane (T value = 0.50), which is not a concern. The MPLM T value of 1.42 and the alcohol level of 7.5 mg/cu m were due to an overall polluted atmosphere, which was expected at first entry. The major T-value component was carbon monoxide at a contribution of 0.44 units. Since the crew was only exposed momentarily to the polluted atmosphere, no health effects are expected. The formaldehyde value of 0.060 mg/cu m found in the Lab sample from 3/27/02 is cause for concern because the Lab consistently shows higher concentrations of formaldehyde than the SM and occasionally the concentrations are above the acceptable guideline. Levels of OFP have remained low, suggesting that no further leaks of the SM air conditioner have occurred.

James, John T.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Conditions of the Toll-Like Receptors System of the Human Innate Immunity Cells During the Long-Term Isolation

During long duration missions onboard the International Space Station (ISS), alterations in T cell function and plasma cytokine profiles have been observed. Recent studies involving pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) have established that adaptation of innate immunity to long duration space flight occurs through changes in signal PRRs, Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Despite the fact that fundamental research of PRR molecular biology is far from complete, there are an increasing number of arguments confirming the important role of this system in regulating the initial stages of the adaptive immune response, as well as in the formation of autoimmune and allergic diseases. Long duration isolation is widely used by NASA as an analog for space flight with previous missions including several Antarctic bases, an undersea research station (NEEMO), and other isolation chambers. ‘SIRIUS’ is a multi-compartment pressurized facility at the IMBP in Moscow, Russia, in which subjects will spend 8 months executing tasks similar to those performed by astronauts in space. Prolonged isolation studies like SIRIUS replicate many of the influences expected to occur during long duration spaceflight missions including isolation, stress, confinement, and living in remote conditions. The immune study to be performed on the upcoming SIRIUS mission is being led by Dr. Sergey Ponomarev at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow, Russia. The NASA JSC Immunology lab will provide analysis of immune cell function, serum cytokines and stress hormones, and salivary cortisol, cytokines, and viruses. This study will be conducted with SIRIUS subjects under the auspices of the parent program. The goal of the study is to evaluate the effect of the 8-month isolation mission on components of human innate immunity at the molecular and cellular level. Successful implementation and completion of this project will provide a unique assortment of new data, significantly expanding the current understanding of the molecular and cellular changes in TLRs during long-term isolation. We hypothesize that mission-like isolation in the Russian NEK facility, consisting of circadian misalignment, isolation, stress, and ‘station lifestyle’, will result in a pattern of immune dysregulation similar to that observed in astronauts onboard ISS. This pattern of alterations can be summarized as phenotypic changes (altered distribution of peripheral cytotoxic, central memory, CD8+ T cell subsets), reductions in T cell function, alterations in plasma cytokine profiles (increased inflammatory and certain chemokines), and reductions in mitogen stimulated cytokine profiles (spans Th1, Th2, Th17). We further hypothesize that these immune changes will correlate with the reactivation of latent herpesviruses (which persists during orbital flight), to be used as measurable adverse clinical manifestation or with other observed symptomology. The SIRIUS-21 mission began in November of 2021 and successfully concluded with the crew emerging in July of 2022. Currently, the logistics of shipping the samples from Russia to the United States is being organized.

Cody L Gutierrez↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dust Characterization Needs for Dust Mitigation

Unknowns remain regarding several lunar dust characteristics, and the lunar dust mitigation community, in collaboration with the science community, is compiling a list of lunar dust characterization needs. It is expected, through the course of currently planned or future lunar surface mission instrumentation, lab experiments, or analysis, that some of these unknowns will be characterized. This list is derived from several sources including findings from the 2020 publication “The Impact of Lunar Dust on Human Exploration”, NASA-STD-1008, SLS-SPEC-159 DSNE, and known gaps identified within NASA programs and projects. The goal of this information collection process is to create a list of dust characterization needs based on scientific and engineering knowledge gaps that will aid in the design and survival of designed and future systems, and address the challenges related to defining the lunar environment and mitigating lunar dust effects on systems and operations. Examples of dust properties and characterization needs include detailed examination of the finest fraction of lunar regolith as it varies by surface location, understanding dust transfer within natural and induced environments, determination of the effects of the lunar plasma environment with regards to materials and hardware, understand the triboelectric charging effects for activities and hardware in contact with the regolith, including grain to grain electrostatic interactions, and material adhesive properties.

dust mitigation↗
NASA NTRS2008

Integrating Human Factors into Space Vehicle Processing for Risk Management

This presentation will discuss the multiple projects performed in United Space Alliance's Human Engineering Modeling and Performance (HEMAP) Lab, improvements that resulted from analysis, and the future applications of the HEMAP Lab for risk assessment by evaluating human/machine interaction and ergonomic designs.

Woodbury, Sarah↗