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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 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Contribution of High Charge and Energy (HZE) Ions During Solar-Particle Event of September 29, 1989

The solar-particle event (SPE) of September 29, 1989, produced an iron-rich spectrum with energies approaching 1 A GeV with an approximate spectral slope parameter of 2.5. These high charge and energy (HZE) ions challenge conventional methods of shield design and assessment of astronaut risks. In the past, shield design and risk assessment have relied on proton shielding codes and biological response models derived from X-ray and neutron exposure data. Because the HZE spectra decline rapidly with energy and HZE attenuation in materials is limited by their penetration power, details of the mass distributions about the sensitive tissues (shielding materials and the astronaut's body) are important determining factors of the exposure levels and distributions of linear energy transfer. Local tissue environments during the SPE of September 29, 1989, with its f= components are examined to analyze the importance of these ions to human SPE exposure. Typical space suit and lightly shielded structures leave significant contributions from HZE components to certain critical body tissues and have important implications on the models for risk assessment. A heavily shielded equipment room of a space vehicle or habitat requires knowledge of the breakup of these ions into lighter components, including neutrons, for shield design specifications.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Activation of maternal centrosomes in unfertilized sea urchin eggs

Centrosomes are undetectable in unfertilized sea urchin eggs, and normally the sperm introduces the cell's microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) at fertilization. However, artificial activation or parthenogenesis triggers microtubule assembly in the unfertilized egg, and this study explores the reappearance and behavior of the maternal centrosome. During activation with A23187 or ammonia, microtubules appear first at the cortex; centrosomal antigen is detected diffusely throughout the entire cytoplasm. Later, the centrosome becomes more distinct and organizes a radial microtubule shell, and eventually a compact centrosome at the egg center organizes a monaster. In these activated eggs, centrosomes undergo cycles of compaction and decompaction in synchrony with the chromatin, which also undergoes cycles of condensation and decondensation. Parthenogenetic activation with heavy water (50% D2O) or the microtubule-stabilizing drug taxol (10 microM) induces numerous centrosomal foci in the unfertilized sea urchin egg. Within 15 min after incubation in D2O, numerous fine centrosomal foci are detected, and they organize a connected network of numerous asters which fill the entire egg. Taxol induces over 100 centrosomal foci by 15 min after treatment, which organize a corresponding number of asters. The centrosomal material in either D2O- or taxol-treated eggs aggregates with time to form fewer but denser foci, resulting in fewer and larger asters. Fertilization of eggs pretreated with either D2O or taxol shows that the paternal centrosome is dominant over the maternal centrosome. The centrosomal material gradually becomes associated with the enlarged sperm aster. These experiments demonstrate that maternal centrosomal material is present in the unfertilized egg, likely as dispersed undetectable material, which can be activated without paternal contributions. At fertilization, paternal centrosomes become dominant over the maternal centrosomal material.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2008

Propulsive Maneuver Design for the 2007 Mars Phoenix Lander Mission

On May 25, 2008, the Mars Phoenix Lander (PHX) successfully landed in the northern planes of Mars in order to continue and complement NASA's "follow the water" theme as its predecessor Mars missions, such as Mars Odyssey (ODY) and Mars Exploration Rovers, have done in recent years. Instruments on the lander, through a robotic arm able to deliver soil samples to the deck, will perform in-situ and remote-sensing investigations to characterize the chemistry of materials at the local surface, subsurface, and atmosphere. Lander instruments will also identify the potential history of key indicator elements of significance to the biological potential of Mars, including potential organics within any accessible water ice. Precise trajectory control and targeting were necessary in order to achieve the accurate atmospheric entry conditions required for arriving at the desired landing site. The challenge for the trajectory control maneuver design was to meet or exceed these requirements in the presence of spacecraft limitations as well as other mission constraints. This paper describes the strategies used, including the specialized targeting specifically developed for PHX, in order to design and successfully execute the propulsive maneuvers that delivered the spacecraft to its targeted landing site while satisfying the planetary protection requirements in the presence of flight system constraints.

FPC↗
NASA NTRS2015

Effects of Polyhydroxybutyrate Production on Cell Division

Synthetic biological engineering can be utilized to aide the advancement of improved long-term space flight. The potential to use synthetic biology as a platform to biomanufacture desired equipment on demand using the three dimensional (3D) printer on the International Space Station (ISS) gives long-term NASA missions the flexibility to produce materials as needed on site. Polyhydroxybutyrates (PHBs) are biodegradable, have properties similar to plastics, and can be produced in Escherichia coli using genetic engineering. Using PHBs during space flight could assist mission success by providing a valuable source of biomaterials that can have many potential applications, particularly through 3D printing. It is well documented that during PHB production E. coli cells can become significantly elongated. The elongation of cells reduces the ability of the cells to divide and thus to produce PHB. I aim to better understand cell division during PHB production, through the design, building, and testing of synthetic biological circuits, and identify how to potentially increase yields of PHB with FtsZ overexpression, the gene responsible for cell division. Ultimately, an increase in the yield will allow more products to be created using the 3D printer on the ISS and beyond, thus aiding astronauts in their missions.

Synthetic Biology↗
NASA NTRS2007

Development of Multifunctional Radiation Shielding Materials for Long Duration Human Exploration Beyond the Low Earth Orbit

One of the major challenges for long duration human exploration beyond the low Earth orbit and sustained human presence on planetary surfaces would be development of materials that would help minimize the radiation exposure to crew and equipment from the interplanetary radiation environment, This radiation environment consists primarily of a continuous flux of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and transient but intense fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEP). The potential for biological damage by the relatively low percentage of high-energy heavy-ions in the GCR spectrum far outweigh that due to lighter particles because of their ionizing-power and the quality of the resulting biological damage. Although the SEP spectrum does not contain heavy ions and their energy range is much lower than that for GCRs, they however pose serious risks to astronaut health particularly in the event of a bad solar storm The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss our recent efforts in development and evaluation of materials for minimizing the hazards from the interplanetary radiation environment. Traditionally, addition of shielding materials to spacecrafts has invariably resulted in paying a penalty in terms of additional weight. It would therefore be of great benefit if materials could be developed not only with superior shielding effectiveness but also sufficient structural integrity. Such a multifunctional material could then be considered as an integral part of spacecraft structures. Any proposed radiation shielding material for use in outer space should be composed of nuclei that maximize the likelihood of projectile fragmentation while producing the minimum number of target fragments. A modeling based approach will be presented to show that composite materials using hydrogen-rich epoxy matrices reinforced with polyethylene fibers and/or fabrics could effectively meet this requirement. This paper will discuss the fabrication of such a material for a crewed vehicle. Ln addition, the capability of synthesizing radiation shielding materials for habitat structures primarily from Lunar or Martian in-situ resources will also be presented. Such an approach would significantly _reduce the cost associated with transportation of such materials and structures from earth. Results from radiation exposure measurements will be presented demonstrating the shielding effectiveness of the developed materials. Mechanical testing data will be discussed to illustrate that the specific mechanical properties of the developed composites are comparable to structural aluminum based alloys currently used for the space shuttle and space station.

Sen, S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, issue 7

This is the seventh issue of NASA's USSR Space Life Sciences Digest. It contains abstracts of 29 papers recently published in Russian language periodicals and bound collections and of 8 new Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables from the original. Additional features include two interviews with the Soviet Union's cosmonaut physicians and others knowledgable of the Soviet space program. The topics discussed at a Soviet conference on problems in space psychology are summarized. Information about English translations of Soviet materials available to readers is provided. The topics covered in this issue have been identified as relevant to 29 areas of aerospace medicine and space biology. These areas are adaptation, biospherics, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, developmental biology, endocrinology, enzymology, exobiology, genetics, habitability and environment effects, hematology, human performance, immunology, life support systems, mathematical modeling, metabolism, microbiology, morphology and cytology, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, perception, personnel selection, psychology, radiobiology, and space medicine.

Hooke, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest, issue 8

This is the eighth issue of NASA's USSR Space Life Sciences Digest. It contains abstracts of 48 papers recently published in Russian language periodicals and bound collections and of 10 new Soviet monographs. Selected abstracts are illustrated with figures and tables. Additional features include reviews of two Russian books on radiobiology and a description of the latest meeting of an international working group on remote sensing of the Earth. Information about English translations of Soviet materials available to readers is provided. The topics covered in this issue have been identified as relevant to 33 areas of aerospace medicine and space biology. These areas are: adaptation, biological rhythms, biospherics, body fluids, botany, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, cosmonaut training, cytology, endocrinology, enzymology, equipment and instrumentation, exobiology, gastrointestinal system, genetics, group dynamics, habitability and environment effects, hematology, human performance, immunology, life support systems, man-machine systems, mathematical modeling, metabolism, microbiology, musculoskeletal system, neurophysiology, nutrition, operational medicine, personnel selection, psychology, reproductive biology, and space biology and medicine.

Hooke, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Viking and Mars Rover exobiology

Other than Earth, Mars is the planet generating the greatest interest among those researching and contemplating the origin and distribution of life throughout the universe. The similarity of the early environments of Earth and Mars, and the biological evolution on early Earth provides the motivation to seriously consider the possibility of a primordial Martian biosphere. In 1975 the Viking project launched two unmanned spacecraft to Mars with the intent of finding evidence of the existence of present or past life on this planet. Three Viking Biology experiments were employed: the Labeled Release experiment, the Gas Exchange Experiment, and the Pyrolytic Release experiment. Each of these three experiments tested for microbial existence and utilization of a substrate by examining the gases evolved from specific chemical reactions. Although the results of these experiments were inconclusive, they inferred that there are no traces of extant life on Mars. However, the experiments did not specifically look for indication of extinct life. Therefore, most of the exobiologic strategies and experiments suggested for the Mars Rover Sample Return Mission involve searching for signature of extinct life. The most significant biological signatures and chemical traces to detect include: isotopic and chemical signatures of metabolic activity, anomalous concentrations of certain metals, trace and microfossils, organically preserved materials, carbonates, nitrates, and evaporites.

Schwartz, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Rapid Detection of the Varicella Zoster Virus in Saliva

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chicken pox on first exposure (usually in children), and reactivates from latency causing shingles (usually in adults). Shingles can be extremely painful, causing nerve damage, organ damage, and blindness in some cases. The virus can be life-threatening in immune-compromised individuals. The virus is very difficult to culture for diagnosis, requiring a week or longer. This invention is a rapid test for VZV from a saliva sample and can be performed in a doctor s office. The kit is small, compact, and lightweight. Detec tion is sensitive, specific, and noninvasive (no needles); only a saliva sample is required. The test provides results in minutes. The entire test is performed in a closed system, with no exposure to infectious materials. The components are made mostly of inexpensive plastic injection molded parts, many of which can be purchased off the shelf and merely assembled. All biological waste is contained for fast, efficient disposal. This innovation was made possible because of discovery of a NASA scientists flight experiment showing the presence of VZV in saliva during high stress periods and disease. This finding enables clinicians to quickly screen patients for VZV and treat the ones that show positive results with antiviral medicines. This promotes a rapid recovery, easing of pain and symptoms, and reduces chances of complications from zoster. Screening of high-risk patients could be incorporated as part of a regular physical exam. These patients include the elderly, pregnant women, and immune-compromised individuals. In these patients, VZV can be a life-threatening disease. In both high- and low-risk patients, early detection and treatment with antiviral drugs can dramatically decrease or even eliminate the clinical manifestation of disease.

Pierson, Duane L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbiological Analysis of Mizuna Grown in the Veggie Hardware to Define Critical Control Points and Ensure the Safety of Space Grown Crops

The Veggie facility on the International Space Station has been utilized as a “pick and eat” plant growth system to provide fresh produce for crew consumption. The VEG-04 experiments completed in 2019 examined the effect of red-rich and blue-rich light treatments on the growth of mizuna as well as harvest method and resulting yield. Analysis was performed on plant tissues and associated hardware to evaluate the influence of these experimental variables on the microbial population. VEG-04A plant pillows with pre-planted Mizuna mustard seeds were launched on SpaceX-16 in December 2018. The pillows were initiated, and a single 35-day harvest was performed. Veg 04B pillows were pre-planted with Mizuna seeds and launched on SpaceX-18 in July 2019, initiated and subsequently harvested at days 29, 43 and 58. The crew consumed approximately half of the produce, and the remainder was frozen and returned for analysis. Leaves, swabs, wicking material, substrate, and roots were processed and plated on media for the enumeration and isolation of bacteria and fungi. Isolated bacterial colonies were identified using Biolog Micro ID system or MicroSEQ16S rDNA sequencing technique. Fungal colonies were identified using the MicroSEQ D2 rDNA kit. Sample extracts were plated onto specialized media to identify Escherichia coli/coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp. Results indicate that bacterial and fungal counts were higher in plants grown in red-rich lightin VEG-04A, while the opposite was true in the Veg-04B third harvest. Microbial counts increased with the repeated harvest method used in Veg-04B. These data support the understanding of environmental and horticultural practices that can affect the microbiological quality of space-grown produce grown and aid in identification of critical control points for the development of a hazard analysis critical control point plan for ISS-grown crops. This research was co-funded by the NASA’s Human Research Program and Space Biology.

Mary E Hummerick↗
NASA NTRS2018

Is Water Necessary for Life?

The universality of water as the solvent for life is usually justified by its role in supporting the rich organic chemistry. It has been pointed out, however, that even richer synthetic chemistry is possible in other organic solvents. Does it mean that water is not necessary for life? Here, other, essential criteria for solvent for life that have not been sufficiently considered are discussed. In biological systems, complex molecules are not only constantly synthesized but also degraded. Solvent-mediated degradation is essential for regulating cell content, preventing overcrowding and allowing for recycling organic material. Achieving a balance between synthetic and degradative processes is facile in water, but not in many other organic liquids. Thus, the so-called “water paradox” according to which water is both necessary to life and toxic to biopolymer synthesis might not be paradoxical at all. The machinery of life is based on non-covalent interactions that do not involve making or breaking chemical bonds. Their strength needs to be properly tuned. If they are too weak, there might be undesired response to natural fluctuations of physical or chemical parameters. If they are too strong, the kinetics and energetics of cellular processes could adversely influenced. The solvent must allow for balancing these interactions, which provides strong, universal constraints on the medium for life. Water influences non-covalent interactions mainly by two mechanisms. First, it reduces strong, electrostatic interactions between molecules, chemical groups or atoms carrying electric charge or dipole. Second, it induces the hydrophobic effect, the tendency to remove non-polar (hydrophobic) molecules and groups from direct contact with aqueous solution and, instead, interact with each other. In living systems, the hydrophobic effect is largely responsible for self-organization of molecules to more complex structures, such as aggregation of lipid molecules to form biological membranes and protein folding. Water exists as stable liquid in a large temperature range, and the hydrophobic effects are a consequence of the temperature insensitivity of essential properties of its liquid state. In summary, water accomplishes an amazing feat – it reduces strong interactions between dissolved species and simultaneously increases the strength of weak interactions, bringing all of them to the right range. Once we consider not only synthetic capabilities but also other required traits of the solvent for life, no viable alternative to water is currently known.

Life↗
NASA NTRS1976

The Viking biological investigation - Preliminary results

A preliminary progress report is presented for the Viking biological investigation through its first month. The carbon assimilation, gas exchange, and labeled release experiments are described in detail, and the chronology of the experiments is outlined. For the first experiment, it is found that a small amount of gas was converted into organic material in one sample and that heat treatment of a duplicate sample prevented such conversion. In the second experiment, a substantial amount of O2 was detected along with significant increases in CO2 and small changes in N2. In the third experiment, a significant amount of radioactive gas was evolved from one sample, but not from a duplicate heat-treated sample. Possible biological and nonbiological interpretations are considered for these results. It is concluded that while the experiments provide clear evidence for the occurrence of chemical reactions and while the results do not violate any prima facie criteria for biological processes, a definitive answer cannot yet be given to the question of whether life exists on Mars.

Klein, H. P.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Disruptive Chemical Approach to Modify Perovskites for Chemical and Biological Sensors

We have been investigating CaCu3Ti4O12 class of perovskites for variety of applications due to its very large dielectric constant. Several mechanisms have been proposed for the existence of the high dielectric constant based on grain boundaries and oxygen deficiencies. We will report the results of the effects of monovalent substitution to replace calcium. This will alter the size to distort the perovskite structure. In addition, we used this system as a sensor for organic agents. There were very large changes in dielectric constant and resistivity indicating this system as a very good sensor material.

Perovskites↗
NASA NTRS1979

Biomedical application in space, pilot program in the southern California region

A pilot program is presented which was to promote utilization of the Shuttle/Spacelab for medical and biological research applied to terrestrial needs. The program was limited to the Southern California region and consisted of the following five tasks: (1) preparation of educational materials; (2) identification of principal investigators; (3) initial contact and visit; (4)development of promising applications; and (5) evaluation of regional program methodology.

Kelton, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Green vegetation, nonphotosynthetic vegetation, and soils in AVIRIS data

The problem of distinguishing between green vegetation, nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV, such as dry grass, leaf litter, and woody material), and soils in imaging-spectrometer data is addressed by analyzing an image taken by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) over the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (California) on September 20, 1989, using spectral mixture analysis. Over 98 percent of the spectral variation could be explained by linear mixtures of three endmembers, green vegetation, shade, and soil. NPV, which could not be distinguished from soil when included as an endmember, was discriminated by residual spectra that contained cellulose and lignin absorptions. Distinct communities of green vegetation were distinguished by (1) nonlinear mixing effect caused by transmission and scattering by green leaves, (2) variations in a derived canopy-shade spectrum, and (3) the fraction of NPV.

Roberts, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Principal Component Analysis for Biosignature Detection in Extraterrestrial Samples

Analysis of extraterrestrial samples for organic signatures of past or present life presents several problems. Chief among these is distinguishing bonafide extraterrestrial organic material from terrestrial contamination, either carried on a spacecraft or present in the terrestrial environment to which the sample is exposed. A related problem is separating biologically derived molecules from those produced by abiotic syntheses in the interstellar medium, on meteorite parent bodies, or in planetary atmospheres and oceans.

McDonald, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Methane Production and Transport within the Marsh Biome of Biosphere 2

In recent decades, the concentration of methane in the earth's atmosphere increased 1-2% annually. It's rate of increases, combined with methane's effectiveness as a greenhouse gas, has led to an intensive research effort to determine the sources and sinks of the gas in the environment. Biosphere 2 offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the effort because it lacks a major photochemical sink present in the Earth's atmosphere. Researchers can therefore concentrate on biological processes involved in methane cycles. Wetlands are a large source of atmospheric methane, due to anoxic conditions in the sediments and the abundance of organic materials. In order to determine if these conditions in Biosphere 2 also promote methane production, this study looked for the fluxes of methane and methods of transport of the gas from from the water and sediments to the atmosphere in the Marsh Biome. Fluxes of methane from the sediments and waters were measured using static chambers, peepers, and leaf bags. Fluxes and vertical profiles of methane in the sediments show that substantial amounts of methane are being produced in the marsh and are being transported into the Biosphere 2 environment.

Molnar, Jennifer↗