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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 595 records · Page 33

IMPAC: An Integrated Methodology for Propulsion and Airframe Control

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is actively involved in the development of enabling technologies that will lead towards aircraft with new/enhanced maneuver capabilities such as Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL) and high angle of attack performance. Because of the high degree of dynamic coupling between the airframe and propulsion systems of these types of aircraft, one key technology is the integration of the flight and propulsion control. The NASA Lewis Research Center approach to developing Integrated Flight Propulsion Control (IFPC) technologies is an in-house research program referred to as IMPAC (Integrated Methodology for Propulsion and Airframe Control). The goals of IMPAC are to develop a viable alternative to the existing integrated control design methodologies that will allow for improved system performance and simplicity of control law synthesis and implementation, and to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology to a supersonic STOVL fighter aircraft. Based on some preliminary control design studies that included evaluation of the existing methodologies, the IFPC design methodology that is emerging at the Lewis Research Center consists of considering the airframe and propulsion system as one integrated system for an initial centralized controller design and then partitioning the centralized controller into separate airframe and propulsion system subcontrollers to ease implementation and to set meaningful design requirements for detailed subsystem control design and evaluation. An overview of IMPAC is provided and detailed discussion of the various important design and evaluation steps in the methodology are included.

Garg, Sanjay↗

The Atmosphere Observing System (AOS): Synergistic Aerosol, Cloud, Convection and Precipitation Measurement and Modeling Systems

The 2017 Decadal Survey (DS) highlighted Earth System Science themes, science and application questions, and several high priority objectives that have led to the inclusion of Aerosols (A) and Clouds-Convection-Precipitation (CCP) as Designated Observables (DOs). On June 1, 2018, several NASA centers (GSFC, LaRC, JPL, MSFC, GRC and ARC) submitted a joint Study Plan to the NASA Earth Science Division for the Aerosol (A) and Cloud, Convection, and Precipitation (CCP) Pre-formulation Study (ACCP), with the ACCP Study concluding in early 2021. The new mission now in pre-phase A is being referred to as the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS), an integral part of NASA’s Earth System Observatory (ESO) strategy. The DS and the ACCP team recognized the science merit in combining the A and CCP DOs for both enhancing the ability to address a number of science objectives and also to provide an expanded capability to address additional objectives beyond those of the individual DOs. A critical element of the ACCP observing strategy is to make extensive use of new passive and active sensors as well as of the so-called Program-of-Record (PoR), complemented by a fully integrated sub-orbital component. In order to achieve maximum benefit, all these observations need to be integrated into comprehensive observing and modeling/data assimilation systems. Such an approach requires comprehensive model-data synthesis capabilities that needs to be conceived in conjunction with the space-based and suborbital components of AOS. In this presentation we will summarize the major science goals of AOS including cloud feedbacks, atmospheric convection, emphasizing aerosol processes and aerosol radiative effects, and the synergistic aspects of clouds-precipitation-aerosol interactions. We will describe examples of how AOS data will be used across space and time to better initialize forecasts and train modeling systems, and to infuse models and data assimilation systems with AOS data for advancing operational predictions and to generate expanded hindcasts and reconstruction of the climate record.

Arlindo da Silva↗

Phase 1 of the near term hybrid passenger vehicle development program, appendix A. Mission analysis and performance specification studies. Volume 2: Appendices

A handy reference for JPL minimum requirements and guidelines is presented as well as information on the use of the fundamental information source represented by the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey. Data on U.S. demographic statistics and highway speeds are included along with methodology for normal parameters evaluation, synthesis of daily distance distributions, and projection of car ownership distributions. The synthesis of tentative mission quantification results, of intermediate mission quantification results, and of mission quantification parameters are considered and 1985 in place fleet fuel economy data are included.

Traversi, M.↗

Applications of SLAR in nuclear power plant siting: A case history

Over 10,000 square km of side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) imagery was obtained and analyzed for the siting of the first nuclear power plant in the Republic of the Philippines. The imagery was obtained using the Motorola APS/AN-94D (X-band) real aperture system as part of an overall remote sensing program to site and evaluate potential site regions. Analysis of SLAR images, in conjunction with LANDSAT, color, black and white, and thermal infrared images, provided basic information on structure, relative geochronology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, and ground water, which facilitated field operations and data synthesis.

Siegal, B. S.↗

EOS radiometer concepts for soil moisture remote sensing

Preliminary work with aperture synthesis concepts for EOS is reported. The effects of nonvanishing bandwidths on image reconstruction in aperture synthesis system was studied. It is found that nonvanishing bandwidths introduce errors in off-axis pixels when naive Fourier processing is used. The net effect is for bandwidth to limit sensor field-of-view. To quantify this effect a computer program was written which is documented. Example runs are included which illustrate the resultant radiometric errors and effective fields-of-view for a plausible simple sensor.

Carr, J.↗

IMPAC - An integrated methodology for propulsion and airframe control

The NASA Lewis Research Center approach to developing integrated flight propulsion control (IFPC) technologies is an in-house research program referred to as IMPAC-Integrated Methodology for Propulsion and Airframe Control. The goals of IMPAC are to develop a viable alternative to the existing integrated control design methodologies that will allow for improved system performance and simplicity of control law synthesis and implementation, and to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology to a supersonic STOVL fighter aircraft. An overview of IMPAC is presented, including a detailed discussion of the various important design and evaluation steps in the methodology.

Garg, Sanjay↗

Momentum Transfer Studies and Studies of Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Metal Colloids and Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Phase 1 of this work involved design work on a momentum transfer device. The progress on design and testing will be presented. Phase 2 involved the systematic study of the MPD thruster for dual uses. Though it was designed as a thruster for space vehicles, the characteristics of the plasma make it an excellent candidate for industrial applications. This project sought to characterize the system for use in materials processing and characterization. The surface modification on ZnCdTe, CdTe, and ZnTe will be presented. Phase 3 involved metal colloids and semiconductor quantum dots. One aspect of this project involves a collaborative effort with the Solid State Division of ORNL. The thrust behind this research is to develop ion implantation for synthesizing novel materials (quantum dots wires and wells, and metal colloids) for applications in all optical switching devices, up conversion, and the synthesis of novel refractory materials. The ions of interest are Au, Ag, Cd, Se, In, P, Sb, Ga, and As. The specific materials of interest are: CdSe, CdTe, InAs, GaAs, InP, GaP, InSb, GaSb, and InGaAs. A second aspect of this research program involves using porous glass (25-200 A) for fabricating materials of finite size. The results of some of this work will also be reported.

Collins, W. E.↗

Prebiotic syntheses of vitamin coenzymes: I. Cysteamine and 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (coenzyme M)

The reaction of NH3 and SO3(2-) with ethylene sulfide is shown to be a prebiotic synthesis of cysteamine and 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (coenzyme M). A similar reaction with ethylene imine would give cysteamine and taurine. Ethylene oxide would react with NH3 and N(CH3)3 to give the phospholipid components ethanolamine and choline. The prebiotic sources of ethylene sulfide, ethylene imine and ethylene oxide are discussed. Cysteamine itself is not a suitable thioester for metabolic processes because of acyl transfer to the amino group, but this can be prevented by using an amide of cysteamine. The use of cysteamine in coenzyme A may have been due to its prebiotic abundance. The facile prebiotic synthesis of both cysteamine and coenzyme M suggests that they were involved in very early metabolic pathways.

NASA Discipline Number 52-20↗

Observing System Simulations for the AOS Mission

The Earth System Observatory (ESO) is NASA’s response to the recommendations of the 2017 Earth Sciences Decadal Survey conducted by the US National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The ESO is being conceived as a set of fully integrated missions addressing 4 main Earth science focus areas including aerosols, clouds, convection and precipitation (jointly re-ferred to as AOS, the Atmosphere Observing System). ESO ground breaking observations will provide critical measurements to address societally relevant problems in climate change, natural hazard mitiga-tion, fighting forest fires, and improving real-time agricultural processes. A critical element of the AOS observing strategy is to make extensive use of new passive and active sen-sors as well as of the so-called Program-of-Record (PoR), complemented by a fully integrated sub-orbital component. In order to achieve maximum benefit, all these observations need to be integrated into comprehensive observing and modeling/data assimilation systems. Such an approach requires compre-hensive model-data synthesis capabilities that needs to be conceived in conjunction with the space-based and suborbital components of AOS. In this presentation we will summarize the major science goals of AOS including cloud feedbacks, at-mospheric convection, emphasizing aerosol processes and aerosol radiative effects, and the synergistic aspects of clouds-precipitation-aerosol interactions. We will describe examples of the observing system simulation capabilities being developed for AOS, including global storm resolving nature runs, detailed instrument and retrieval simulators, as well as fast retrieval emulators for instrumenting climate models. This simulation environment, being developed under NASA’s open-source science initiative, will permit us to explore how AOS data will be used across space and time to better initialize forecasts and train modeling systems, and to infuse models and data assimilation systems with AOS data, well before launch.

Arlindo da Silva↗

Collagen in organ development

It is important to know whether microgravity will adversely affect developmental processes. Collagens are macromolecular structural components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which may be altered by perturbations in gravity. Interstitial collagens have been shown to be necessary for normal growth and morphogenesis in some embryonic organs, and in the mouse salivary gland, the biosynthetic pattern of these molecules changes during development. Determination of the effects of microgravity on epithelial organ development must be preceded by crucial ground-based studies. These will define control of normal synthesis, secretion, and deposition of ECM macromolecules and the relationship of these processes to morphogenesis.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗

Progress in developing GeoSTAR - Microwave Sounder for GOES-R

The Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Aperture Radiometer (GeoSTAR)is a new concept for a microwave sounder, intended to be deployed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory under NASA Instrument Incubator Program sponsorship, and is currently undergoing tests and performance characterization.

aperture synthesis↗

Computer-aided methods for analysis and synthesis of supersonic cruise aircraft structures

Computer-aided methods are reviewed which are being developed by Langley Research Center in-house work and by related grants and contracts. Synthesis methods to size structural members to meet strength and stiffness (flutter) requirements are emphasized and described. Because of the strong interaction among the aerodynamic loads, structural stiffness, and member sizes of supersonic cruise aircraft structures, these methods are combined into systems of computer programs to perform design studies. The approaches used in organizing these systems to provide efficiency, flexibility of use in an iterative process, and ease of system modification are discussed.

Giles, G. L.↗

Synthesis of active controls for flutter suppression on a flight research wing

This paper describes some activities associated with the preliminary design of an active control system for flutter suppression capable of demonstrating a 20% increase in flutter velocity. Results from two control system synthesis techniques are given. One technique uses classical control theory, and the other uses an 'aerodynamic energy method' where control surface rates or displacements are minimized. Analytical methods used to synthesize the control systems and evaluate their performance are described. Some aspects of a program for flight testing the active control system are also given. This program, called DAST (Drones for Aerodynamics and Structural Testing), employs modified drone-type vehicles for flight assessments and validation testing.

Abel, I.↗

Digital test signal generation: An accurate SNR calibration approach for the DSN

In support of the on-going automation of the Deep Space Network (DSN) a new method of generating analog test signals with accurate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is described. High accuracy is obtained by simultaneous generation of digital noise and signal spectra at the desired bandwidth (base-band or bandpass). The digital synthesis provides a test signal embedded in noise with the statistical properties of a stationary random process. Accuracy is dependent on test integration time and limited only by the system quantization noise (0.02 dB). The monitor and control as well as signal-processing programs reside in a personal computer (PC). Commands are transmitted to properly configure the specially designed high-speed digital hardware. The prototype can generate either two data channels modulated or not on a subcarrier, or one QPSK channel, or a residual carrier with one biphase data channel. The analog spectrum generated is on the DC to 10 MHz frequency range. These spectra may be up-converted to any desired frequency without loss on the characteristics of the SNR provided. Test results are presented.

Gutierrez-Luaces, Benito O.↗

Effects of Space Missions on the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analysis

Future spaceflight will require travelers to spend ever-increasing periods of time in microgravity. Optimal functioning of the immune system is of paramount importance for the health and performance of these travelers. A meta-analysis statistical procedure was used to analyze immune system data from crew members in United States and Soviet space missions from 8.5 to 140 days duration between 1968 and 1985. Ten immunological parameters (immunoglobulins A, G, M, D, white blood cell (WBC) count, number of lymphocytes, percent total lymphocytes, percent B lymphocytes, percent T lymphocytes, and lymphocyte reactivity to mitogen) were investigated using multifactorial, repeated measure analysis of variance. With the preflight level set at 100, WBC count increased to 154 +/- 14% (mean +/- SE; p less than or equal to 0.05) immediately after flight; there was a decrease in lymphocyte count (83 +/- 4%; p less than or equal to 0.05) and percent of total lymphocytes (69 +/- 1%; p less than or equal to 0.05) immediately after flight, with reduction in RNA synthesis to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) to 51 +/- 21% (p less than or equal to 0.05) and DNA synthesis to PHA to 61 +/- 8% (p less than or equal to 0.05) at the first postflight measurement. Thus, some cellular immunological functions are decreased significantly following spaceflight. More data are needed on astronauts' age, aerobic power output, and parameters of their exercise training program to determine if these immune system responses are due solely to microgravity exposure or perhaps to some other aspect of spaceflight.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Observability and Estimation of Distributed Space Systems via Local Information-Exchange Networks

In this work, we develop an approach to formation estimation by explicitly characterizing formation's system-theoretic attributes in terms of the underlying inter-spacecraft information-exchange network. In particular, we approach the formation observer/estimator design by relaxing the accessibility to the global state information by a centralized observer/estimator- and in turn- providing an analysis and synthesis framework for formation observers/estimators that rely on local measurements. The noveltyof our approach hinges upon the explicit examination of the underlying distributed spacecraft network in the realm of guidance, navigation, and control algorithmic analysis and design. The overarching goal of our general research program, some of whose results are reported in this paper, is the development of distributed spacecraft estimation algorithms that are scalable, modular, and robust to variations inthe topology and link characteristics of the formation information exchange network. In this work, we consider the observability of a spacecraft formation from a single observation node and utilize the agreement protocol as a mechanism for observing formation states from local measurements. Specifically, we show how the symmetry structure of the network, characterized in terms of its automorphism group, directly relates to the observability of the corresponding multi-agent system The ramification of this notion of observability over networks is then explored in the context of distributed formation estimation.

observability↗

Ecological Forecasting in the Applied Sciences Program and Input to the Decadal Survey

Ecological forecasting uses knowledge of physics, ecology and physiology to predict how ecosystems will change in the future in response to environmental factors. Further, Ecological Forecasting employs observations and models to predict the effects of environmental change on ecosystems. In doing so, it applies information from the physical, biological, and social sciences and promotes a scientific synthesis across the domains of physics, geology, chemistry, biology, and psychology. The goal is reliable forecasts that allow decision makers access to science-based tools in order to project changes in living systems. The next decadal survey will direct the development Earth Observation sensors and satellites for the next ten years. It is important that these new sensors and satellites address the requirements for ecosystem models, imagery, and other data for resource management. This presentation will give examples of these model inputs and some resources needed for NASA to continue effective Ecological Forecasting.

Ecology↗