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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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NASA NTRS2016

Case Study: Managing Undergraduate Interns in the Context of Multidisciplinary Projects

Internship opportunities can be immensely beneficial to both the students who pursue them and the labs that employ them. However, optimal results for all stakeholders can be uncertain. Several factors compound this issue. In this case study, the highly multidisciplinary nature of the BioEngineering Instrumentation Group at NASA Ames Research Center has made productively integrating short-term summer interns challenging. In general, taking on more undergraduate interns during a given time period can lead to diminishing returns, particularly if those interns are primarily short-time interns with few long-term senior students present.Introducing a level of industry-style project management processes can help. On the one hand, extreme formality can reduce the enthusiasm that students can bring; also, time constraints on internships make extensive training in formal process an investment with comparatively little return. On the other hand, lack of process can result in many forms of wastage. A moderate, lightweight level of process i.e., simple processes with high payoff to time invested ratios, including processes to effectively handle multidisciplinary issues can yield both a far more efficient lab, and a richer educational experience for the interns. In this case study, we implemented simple processes such as brief weekly stand-up meetings, a standard action item bug tracking process, and deadline-based scheduling with prudent reserves and critical path tracking.To evaluate these steps, several parameters were considered: the number of projects the lab could successfully pursue, the number of interns that could be successfully integrated onto each project, diversity of student intern educational backgrounds, student satisfaction, student understanding of expectations, and student preparation for industry-standard work. Generally, outcomes were enhanced across the board, even with imperfectly implemented processes. Lightweight process implementation is shown to be tremendously effective in a multidisciplinary internship context.

Case Study↗
NASA NTRS2011

On the Use of Experimental Methods to Improve Confidence in Educed Impedance

Results from impedance eduction methods developed by NASA Langley Research Center are used throughout the acoustic liner community. In spite of recent enhancements, occasional anomalies persist with these methods, generally at frequencies where the liner produces minimal attenuation. This investigation demonstrates an experimental approach to educe impedance with increased confidence over a desired frequency range, by combining results from successive tests with different cavity depths. A series of tests is conducted with three wire-mesh facesheets, for which the results should be weakly dependent on source sound pressure level and mean grazing flow speed. First, a raylometer is used to measure the DC flow resistance of each facesheet. These facesheets are then mounted onto a frame and a normal incidence tube is used to determine their respective acoustic impedance spectra. A comparison of the acoustic resistance component with the DC flow resistance for each facesheet is used to validate the measurement process. Next, each facesheet is successively mounted onto three frames with different cavity depths, and a grazing flow impedance tube is used to educe their respective acoustic impedance spectra with and without mean flow. The no-flow results are compared with those measured in the normal incidence tube to validate the impedance eduction method. Since the anti-resonance frequency varies with cavity depth, each sample provides robust results over a different frequency range. Hence, a combination of results can be used to determine the facesheet acoustic resistance. When combined with the acoustic reactance, observed to be weakly dependent on the source sound pressure level and grazing flow Mach number, the acoustic impedance can be educed with increased confidence. Representative results of these tests are discussed, and the complete database is available in electronic format upon request.

Jones, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA Education: Yesterday's Dream...Today's Vision...Tomorrow's Hope

For 50 years, NASA's journeys into air and space have developed humankind's understanding of the universe, advanced technology breakthroughs, enhanced air travel safety and security, and expanded the frontiers of scientific research. These accomplishments share a common genesis: education. Education is a fundamental element of NASA's activities, reflecting a balanced and diverse portfolio of: Elementary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, e-Education, Informal Education, and Minority University Research and Education Programs (MUREP). Previous experience has shown that implementing exciting and compelling NASA missions are critical to inspiring the next generation of explorers, innovators, and leaders. Through partnerships with the Agency's Mission Directorates, other federal agencies, private industries, scientific research, and education/academic organizations, NASA's unique mission and education initiatives (content, people, and facilities) are helping to spark student interest and to guide them toward careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASA continues to inspire the next generation of explorers, innovators, and future leaders through its educational investments, which are designed to: (1) Strengthen NASA and the Nation's future workforce -- NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to ensure achievement of exploration, science, and aeronautics. (2) Attract and retain students in STEM disciplines through a progression of educational opportunities for students, teachers, and faculty -- To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations, and career ambitions of America's young people, NASA will focus on engaging and retaining students in STEM education programs to encourage their pursuit of educational disciplines critical to NASA's future engineering, scientific, and technical missions. 3. Engage Americans in NASA's mission -- NASA will build strategic partnerships and links between formal and informal STEM education providers. Through hands-on, interactive, educational activities, NASA will engage students, educators, families, the general public, and all agency stakeholders in increasing America's science and technology literacy. NASA Education uses multiple methods to assess and evaluate the success of its programs and projects. Methods include strategic planning, management and control, expert evaluations and assessments, competitive acquisition, and analysis of performance measurement data and metrics. Additional control measures are in development. These measures will further improve data collection, assist in assessing return on investments, and provide information for accountability in project and program management. In 2009, NASA directly reached over one million students and over 115,000 educators.

Winterton, Joyce L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Uplink-Downlink: A History of the Deep Space Network, 1957-1997

In these pages, the informed reader will discover a simple description of what the Deep Space Network (DSN) is about, and how it works an aspect of NASA's spectacular planetary program that seldom found its way into the popular media coverage of those major events. Future historical researchers will find a complete record of the origin and birth of the DSN, its subsequent development and expansion over the ensuing four decades, and a description of the way in which the DSN was used to fulfill the purpose for which it was created. At the same time, the specialist reader is provided with an abundant source of technical references that address every aspect of the advanced telecommunications technology on which the success of the DSN depended. And finally, archivists, educators, outreach managers, and article writers will have ready recourse to the inner workings of the DSN and how they related to the more publicly visible events of the planetary space program.

Mudgway, Douglas J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Solar C: Scatter-Free Observatory for Limb Active Regions and Coronae

The SOLARC observatory is a 0.5m off-axis reflecting coronagraph. NASA SRT funding has allowed the completion of this telescope facility, which we believe is now the world's largest operational coronagraph. We have achieved our proposal goals both in the development of the new technology for this facility and in the demonstration of its scientific and educational potential: 1) The SOLARC engineering development was successful and has spawned other similar instruments. The off-axis design of ATST (a new 4m telescope) has benefited from the SOLARC development. The off-axis 1.6m NST facility at BBSO is also now under construction and will be the world's largest solar disk observing telescope until ATST is completed. Both of these telescope designs are derivatives of the SOLARC 0.5m off-axis. Some of this technical development is described in the publications. 2) The most important scientific goal of SOLARC has been to demonstrate that coronal magnetic fields can be measured using infrared spectropolarimetry techniques. With the completion of the optical fiber-bundle imaging spectropolarimeter we have measured the coronal field strength with a sensitivity to the line-of-sight field component of 2G at 150,OOOkm above the limb. We believe this capability opens new opportunities for space weather, and coronal physics research. In particular we have demonstrated a new tool for understanding the effect of the Sun on the terrestrial space environment. A paper reporting these results has recently been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2009

International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY), an international program of scientific collaboration to understand the external drivers of planetary environments, has come to an end. The IHY was a major international event of great interest to the member States, which involved the deployment of new instrumentation, new observations from the ground and in space, and an education component. We propose to continue the highly successful collaboration between the heliophysics science community and the United Nations Basic Space Science (UNBSS) program. One of the major thrust of the IHY was to deploy arrays of small instruments such as magnetometers, radio antennas, GPS receivers, all-sky cameras, particle detectors, etc. around the world to provide global measurements of heliospheric phenomena. The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI) played a major role in this effort. Scientific teams were organized through UNBSS, which consisted of a lead scientist who provided the instruments or fabrication plans for instruments in the array. As a result of the this program, scientists from UNBSS member states now participate in the instrument operation, data collection, analysis, and publication of scientific results, working at the forefront of science research. As part of this project, support for local scientists, facilities and data acquisition is provided by the host nation. In addition, support at the Government level is provided for local scientists to participate. Building on momentum of the IHY, we propose to continue the highly successful collaboration with the UNBSS program to continue the study of universal processes in the solar system that affect the interplanetary and terrestrial environments, and to continue to coordinate the deployment and operation of new and existing instrument arrays aimed at understanding the impacts of Space Weather on Earth and the near-Earth environment. Toward this end, we propose a new program, the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI).

Davila, Joseph M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY), an international program of scientific collaboration to understand the external drivers of planetary environments, has come to an end. The IHY was a major international event of great interest to the member States, which involved the deployment of new instrumentation, new observations from the ground and in space, and an education component. We propose to continue the highly successful collaboration between the heliophysics science community and the United Nations Basic Space Science (UNBSS) program. One of the major thrust of the IHY was to deploy arrays of small instruments such as magnetometers, radio antennas, GPS receivers, all-sky cameras, particle detectors, etc. around the world to provide global measurements of heliospheric phenomena. The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI) played a major role in this effort. Scientific teams were organized through UNBSS, which consisted of a lead scientist who provided the instruments or fabrication plans for instruments in the array. As a result of the this program, scientists from UNBSS member states now participate in the instrument operation, data collection, analysis, and publication of scientific results, working at the forefront of science research. As part of this project, support for local scientists, facilities and data acquisition is provided by the host nation. In addition, support at the Government level is provided for local scientists to participate. Building on momentum of the IHY, we propose to continue the highly successful collaboration with the UNBSS program to continue the study of universal processes in the solar system that affect the interplanetary and terrestrial environments, and to continue to coordinate the deployment and operation of new and existing instrument arrays aimed at understanding the impacts of Space Weather on Earth and the near-Earth environment. Toward this end, we propose a new program, the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI).

Davila, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS2013

A Potential NASA Research Reactor to Support NTR Development

In support of efforts for research into the design and development of a man rated Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) engine, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), is evaluating the potential for building a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensed research reactor. The proposed reactor would be licensed by NASA and operated jointly by NASA and university partners. The purpose of this reactor would be to perform further research into the technologies and systems needed for a successful NTR project and promote nuclear training and education.

Eades, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Research Reactor Concept to Support NTP Development

In support of efforts for research into the design and development of man rated Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), is evaluating the potential for building a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensed NTP based research reactor (NTPRR). The proposed NTPRR would be licensed by NASA and operated jointly by NASA and university partners. The purpose of the NTPRR would be used to perform further research into the technologies and systems needed for a successful NTP project and promote nuclear training and education.

Eades, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA Education Recommendation Report - Education Design Team 2011

NASA people are passionate about their work. NASA's missions are exciting to learners of all ages. And since its creation in 1958, NASA's people have been passionate about sharing their inspiring discoveries, research and exploration with students and educators. In May 2010, NASA administration chartered an Education Design Team composed of 12 members chosen from the Office of Education, NASA's Mission Directorates and Centers for their depth of knowledge and education expertise, and directed them to evaluate the Agency's program in the context of current trends in education. By improving NASA's educational offerings, he was confident that the Agency can play a leading role in inspiring student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as few other organizations can. Through its unique workforce, facilities, research and innovations, NASA can expand its efforts to engage underserved and underrepresented communities in science and mathematics. Through the Agency's STEM education efforts and science and exploration missions, NASA can help the United States successfully compete, prosper and be secure in the 21st century global community. After several months of intense effort, including meeting with education experts; reviewing Administration policies, congressional direction and education research; and seeking input from those passionate about education at NASA, the Education Design Team made six recommendations to improve the impact of NASA's Education Program: (1) Focus the NASA Education Program to improve its impact on areas of greatest national need (2) Identify and strategically manage NASA Education partnerships (3) Participate in National and State STEM Education policy discussions (4) Establish a structure to allow the Office of Education, Centers and Mission Directorates to implement a strategically integrated portfolio (5) Expand the charter of the Education Coordinating Committee to enable deliberate Education Program design (6) Improve communication to inspire learners

Pengra, Trish↗
NASA NTRS1999

NASA Educational Product Development and Post-Secondary Program Assessment Planning

Producing "value-added students" involves proactively addressing how successfully students develop their skills, knowledge, and personal, social, and ethical growth due to their association with a program. NASA programs for higher education can certainly be responsive in aiding the academic community strive for quality in terms of "valueadded" students. By identifying essential characteristics of exemplary assessment practices, the standards developed by accrediting agencies serve as guides for developing quality practices and policies. Such a process is an effective tool for communicating the expectations of the educational components of a program to all concerned with the program and its expected results. When standards are connected to student performance, they provide a very compelling argument for refocusing the definition of quality in higher education. By linking standards and performance, student learning and development becomes the starting point for examining program quality. If the multiple stakeholders - faculty, peers, the professional community, addressed assessment issues, then accreditation can be a link among various constituencies, the parties can better understand the needs of each other and develop the necessary trust needed for understanding and support.

Salmons, Phyllis A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A NASA Strategy for Leveraging Emerging Launch Vehicles for Routine, Small Payload Missions

Orbital flight opportunities for small payloads have always been few and far between, and then on February 1, 2002, the situation got worse. In the wake of the loss of the Columbia during STS- 107, changing NASA missions and priorities led to the termination of the Shuttle Small Payloads Projects, including Get-Away Special, Hitcbker, and Space Experiment Module. In spite of the limited opportunities, long queue, and restrictions associated with flying experiments on a man-rated transportation system; the carriers provided a sustained, high quality experiment services for education, science, and technology payloads, and was one of the few games in town. Attempts to establish routine opportunities aboard existing ELVs have been unsuccessful, as the cost-per-pound on small ELVs and conflicts with primary spacecraft on larger vehicles have proven prohibitive. Ths has led to a backlog of existing NASA-sponsored payloads and no prospects or plans for fbture opportunities within the NASA community. The prospects for breaking out of this paradigm appear promising as a result of NASA s partnership with DARPA in pursuit of low-cost, responsive small ELVs under the Falcon Program. Through this partnership several new small ELVs, providing 1000 lbs. to LEO will be demonstrated in less than two years that promise costs that are reasonable enough that NASA, DoD, and other sponsors can once again invest in small payload opportunities. Within NASA, planning has already begun. NASA will be populating one or more of the Falcon demonstration flights with small payloads that are already under development. To accommodate these experiments, Goddard s Wallops Flight Facility has been tasked to develop a multi-payload ejector (MPE) to accommodate the needs of these payloads. The MPE capabilities and design is described in detail in a separately submitted abstract. Beyond use of the demonstration flights however, Goddard has already begun developing strategies to leverage these new ELVs as elements of a larger system designed to provide routine, low-cost end-to-end services for small science, Exploration, and education payloads. The plan leverages the management approaches of the successful Sounding Rocket Program and Shuttle Small Payloads Projects. The strategy consists of using a systems implementation approach of elements, including 1) Falcon ELVs, 2) advanced launch site technologies and processes, 3) suite of experiment carriers accommodating different mission requirements, 4) streamlined integration and test operations, 5 ) experiment brokering and management, and 6) standardized, distributed payload operations. The envisioned suite of carriers includes the MPE, a standard interface experiment carrier, and potentially a reentry fieeflyer experiment carrier. Key to the success of this strategy is standard experiment interfaces within the carriers to limit mission- unique tasks, establishmg and managing a program of scheduled reoccurring flights rather than discrete missions, and streamlined, centralized implementation of the elements. These individual elements are each under development and Goddard will demonstrate the overall system strategy low-cost small payload missions on the initial Falcon demonstration launches from Wallops. goal is to show that this model should be converted to a sustained NASA program supporting science, technology, and education, with annual flight opportunities. The paper will define in detail the various elements of the overall program, as well as provide status, philosophy, and strategy for the program that will hopefully once-and-for-all provide low-cost, routine access to space for the small payloads community.

Underwood, Bruce E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Engineering Capabilities and Partnerships

This slide presentation reviews the engineering capabilities at Johnson Space Center, The presentation also reviews the partnerships that have resulted in successfully designed and developed projects that involved commercial and educational institutions.

Poulos, Steve↗
NASA NTRS2021

CubeSat Technology Past and Present: Current State-Of-The-Art Survey

A cube satellite (CubeSat) is an evolving and emerging technology that gives a novice or advanced researcher relatively affordable access to space research experiments and applications. The initial CubeSat standard was created in 1999 by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab to facilitate direct access to space for university students. This initial CubeSat standard has now been adopted by hundreds of organizations worldwide and includes not only universities, educational institutions, but private firms and government organizations. Dozens of CubeSats have been launched since 2003 and have come from more than 29 states in the United States. The CubeSat standard facilitates frequent and affordable access to space with launch opportunities available on most launch vehicles. CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites and are built to standard CubeSat Units or U dimensions of 10 by 10 by 10 cm and are formally classified as 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size. Most CubeSats are deployed from a Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer called a P-POD. Partnerships among NASA, U.S. industry, and educational institutions are being formed to build upon existing successful CubeSat initiatives with a goal to expand and include launching 50 small satellites from 50 states within the next several years. An extensive and detailed literature review that includes over 830 citations has been conducted to provide a comprehensive resource on both NASA and non-NASA CubeSat experiments and applications that can serve as a guide for background information on CubeSats as well as a valuable resource of lessons learned from CubeSats that have been launched in the past. CubeSats are currently being launched from all over the world on different launch vehicle platforms. Some organizations providing launch opportunities are California Polytechnic State University (http://www.cubesat.org/contactus), ISISPACE Group (https://www.isispace.nl/), Nanoracks (http://nanoracks.com/), Spaceflight Industries, Inc. (http://spaceflight.com/), TriSept Corporation (https://trisept.com/), and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. (https://www.tyvak.com/).

Cubesat↗
NASA NTRS2013

Modeling the Skills and Practices of Scientists through an “All-Inclusive” Comparative Planetology Student Research Investigation

To effectively prepare the nation's future Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce, students in today's classrooms need opportunities to engage in authentic experiences that model skills and practices used by STEM professionals. Relevant, real-world authentic research experiences allow students to behave as scientists as they model the process of science. This enables students to get a true sense of STEM-related professions and also allows them to develop the requisite knowledge, skills, curiosity, and creativity necessary for success in STEM careers. Providing professional development and opportunities to help teachers infuse research in the classroom is one of the primary goals of the Expedition Earth and Beyond (EEAB) program. EEAB, facilitated by the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate at the NASA Johnson Space Center, is an Earth and planetary science education program designed to inspire, engage, and educate teachers and students in grades 5-12 by getting them actively involved with exploration, discovery, and the process of science. The program combines the expertise of scientists and educators to ensure the professional development provided to classroom teachers is scientifically valid and also recognizes classroom constraints. For many teachers, facilitating research in the classroom can be challenging. In addition to addressing required academic standards and dealing with time constraints, challenges include structuring a research investigation the entire class can successfully complete. To build educator confidence, foster positive classroom research experiences, and enable teachers to help students model the skills and practices of scientists, EEAB has created an "allinclusive" comparative planetology research investigation activity. This activity addresses academic standards while recognizing students (and teachers) potentially lack experience with scientific practices involved in conducting research. Designed as an entry level research engagement investigation, the activity introduces, illustrates, and teaches the skills involved in each step of the research process. Students use astronaut photos, provided through the ARES Crew Earth Observations (CEO) payload on the International Space Station (ISS) as well as remote sensing imagery of other planetary worlds. By including all the necessary tools to complete the investigation, students can focus on gaining experience in the process of science. Additionally, students are able to extend their experience of modeling the skills and practices of scientists through the opportunity to request new data of Earth from the ISS. Professional development offered through in-person and webinar trainings, along with the resources provided, enable educators to gain first-hand experience implementing a structured research investigation in the classroom. Through data and feedback collected from teachers, this type of "all-inclusive" investigation activity aims to become a model that can be utilized for other research topics and STEM disciplines.

Graff, Paige↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Workshop on High Energy Astrophysical for Amateur Astronomers

Amateur astronomers are, in general, an enthusiastic and dynamic group of individuals who can help greatly in astronomy public outreach and education programs. In the U.S., they outnumber professional astronomers by over a factor of ten. Over eighty amateur astronomers from all over the U.S. and abroad attended a unique workshop in Huntsville, Alabama in April of this year. Most attendees were provided with travel grants under the condition that they disseminate knowledge gained at the workshop to civic groups, astronomy clubs and science teacher groups in their home communities. Twelve lecturers were given over two days, primarily by active high-energy researchers from NASA-MSFC and NASA-GSFC. Funding for the workshop was provided by a variety of NASA-sponsored projects, offices within OSS and private funding sources. The workshop attendees were selected by the AAVSO, which also administered the funding for the workshop. This high-leverage educational and public outreach program was deemed to be highly successful and bodes well for similar, future workshops. Many of the participants have already begun to give public talks on HEA and GRBs.

Fishman, Gerald J.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Modeling-Driven Damage Tolerant Design of Graphene Nanoplatelet/Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Hybrid Composite Panels for Full-Scale Aerospace Structures

The objective of this study is to design a new nano graphenecarbon fiberpolymer hybrid composite that can be used for the NASA SLS Composite Exploration Upper Stage (CEUS) forward skirt structure. The new material will improve the resistance to open-hole compression failure of the structure relative to traditional polymer fiber composites. The material is designed rapidly and with little cost using the Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approach. Multiscale modeling and experiments are used to synergistically optimize the material design to yield improved properties and performance by controlling key processing parameters for manufacturing nano-enhanced materials. Specifically, the nanocomposite panel showed a 22 reduction in mass relative to the traditional composite panel, while both designs are equal in terms of ease of manufacture. This potential mass savings corresponds to an estimated 45 savings in materials and manufacturing costs. The multiscale ICME workflow developed for this project can be readily applied to the development of nano-enhanced composite materials and large aerospace structures. In addition, all key aspects of ICME were employed to complete this project including multiscale modeling, experimental characterization and visualization, data management, visualization, error and uncertainty quantification, and education. The results presented herein indicate a dramatic level of success, as well as the power and potential of ICME approach and multiscale modeling for composite materials.

computational mechanics↗
NASA NTRS1981

Apple Image Processing Educator

A software system design is proposed and demonstrated with pilot-project software. The system permits the Apple II microcomputer to be used for personalized computer-assisted instruction in the digital image processing of LANDSAT images. The programs provide data input, menu selection, graphic and hard-copy displays, and both general and detailed instructions. The pilot-project results are considered to be successful indicators of the capabilities and limits of microcomputers for digital image processing education.

Gunther, F. J.↗