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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

Ground Truthing Orbital Clay Mineral Observations with the APXS Onboard Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been exploring approximately 22 km diameter Endeavour crater since 2011. Its rim segments predate the Hesperian-age Burns formation and expose Noachian-age material, which is associated with orbital Fe3+-Mg-rich clay mineral observations [1,2]. Moving to an orders of magnitude smaller instrumental field of view on the ground, the clay minerals were challenging to pinpoint on the basis of geochemical data because they appear to be the result of near-isochemical weathering of the local bedrock [3,4]. However, the APXS revealed a more complex mineral story as fracture fills and so-called red zones appear to contain more Al-rich clay minerals [5,6], which had not been observed from orbit. These observations are important to constrain clay mineral formation processes. More detail will be added as Opportunity is heading into her 10th extended mission, during which she will investigate Noachian bedrock that predates Endeavour crater, study sedimentary rocks inside Endeavour crater, and explore a fluid-carved gully. ESA's ExoMars rover will land on Noachian-age Oxia Planum where abundant Fe3+-Mg-rich clay minerals have been observed from orbit, but the story will undoubtedly become more complex once seen from the ground.

Schroeder, C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Materials Science Research Rack Onboard the International Space Station

The Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) is a research facility developed under a cooperative research agreement between NASA and ESA for materials science investigations on the International Space Station (ISS). MSRR was launched on STS-128 in August 2009 and currently resides in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Module. Since that time, MSRR has logged more than 1400 hours of operating time. The MSRR accommodates advanced investigations in the microgravity environment on the ISS for basic materials science research in areas such as solidification of metals and alloys. The purpose is to advance the scientific understanding of materials processing as affected by microgravity and to gain insight into the physical behavior of materials processing. MSRR allows for the study of a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, semiconductor crystals, and glasses. Materials science research benefits from the microgravity environment of space, where the researcher can better isolate chemical and thermal properties of materials from the effects of gravity. With this knowledge, reliable predictions can be made about the conditions required on Earth to achieve improved materials. MSRR is a highly automated facility with a modular design capable of supporting multiple types of investigations. The NASA-provided Rack Support Subsystem provides services (power, thermal control, vacuum access, and command and data handling) to the ESA-developed Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) that accommodates interchangeable Furnace Inserts (FI). Two ESA-developed FIs are presently available on the ISS: the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification and Quenching Furnace (SQF). Sample Cartridge Assemblies (SCAs), each containing one or more material samples, are installed in the FI by the crew and can be processed at temperatures up to 1400C. ESA continues to develop samples with 14 planned for launch and processing in the near future. Additionally NASA has begun developing SCAs to support US PIs and their partners. The first of these Flight SCAs are being developed for investigations to support research in the areas of crystal growth and liquid phase sintering. Subsequent investigations are in various stages of development. US investigations will include a ground test program in order to distinguish the particular effects of the absence of gravity.

Reagan, Shawn↗
NASA NTRS2016

Materials Science Research Rack Onboard the International Space Station

The Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) is a research facility developed under a cooperative research agreement between NASA and ESA for materials science investigations on the International Space Station (ISS). MSRR was launched on STS-128 in August 2009 and currently resides in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Module. Since that time, MSRR has logged more than 1400 hours of operating time. The MSRR accommodates advanced investigations in the microgravity environment on the ISS for basic materials science research in areas such as solidification of metals and alloys. The purpose is to advance the scientific understanding of materials processing as affected by microgravity and to gain insight into the physical behavior of materials processing. MSRR allows for the study of a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, semiconductor crystals, and glasses. Materials science research benefits from the microgravity environment of space, where the researcher can better isolate chemical and thermal properties of materials from the effects of gravity. With this knowledge, reliable predictions can be made about the conditions required on Earth to achieve improved materials. MSRR is a highly automated facility with a modular design capable of supporting multiple types of investigations. The NASA-provided Rack Support Subsystem provides services (power, thermal control, vacuum access, and command and data handling) to the ESA-developed Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) that accommodates interchangeable Furnace Inserts (FI). Two ESA-developed FIs are presently available on the ISS: the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification and Quenching Furnace (SQF). Sample Cartridge Assemblies (SCAs), each containing one or more material samples, are installed in the FI by the crew and can be processed at temperatures up to 1400degC. ESA continues to develop samples with 14 planned for launch and processing in the near future. Additionally NASA has begun developing SCAs to support US PIs and their partners. The first of these Flight SCAs are being developed for investigations to support research in the areas of crystal growth and liquid phase sintering. Subsequent investigations are in various stages of development. US investigations will include a ground test program in order to distinguish the particular effects of the absence of gravity.

Reagan, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Assessment of the Influence of the RaD-X Balloon Payload on the Onboard Radiation Detectors

The NASA Radiation Dosimetry Experiment (RaD-X) stratospheric balloon flight mission, launched on 25 September 2015, provided dosimetric measurements above the Pfotzer maximum. The goal of taking these measurements is to improve aviation radiation models by providing a characterization of cosmic ray primaries, which are the source of radiation exposure at aviation altitudes. The RaD-X science payload consists of four instruments. The main science instrument is a tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC). The other instruments consisted of three solid state silicon dosimeters: Liulin, Teledyne total ionizing dose (TID) and RaySure detectors. The instruments were housed in an aluminum structure protected by a foam cover. The structure partially shielded the detectors from cosmic rays but also created secondary particles, modifying the ambient radiation environment observed by the instruments. Therefore, it is necessary to account for the influence of the payload structure on the measured doses. In this paper, we present the results of modeling the effect of the balloon payload on the radiation detector measurements using a Geant-4 (GEometry ANd Tracking) application. Payload structure correction factors derived for the TEPC, Liulin, and TID instruments are provided as a function of altitude. Overall, the payload corrections are no more than a 7% effect on the radiation environment measurements.

Gronoff, Guilluame↗
NASA NTRS2017

Influence of Oxychlorine Phases During the Pyrolysis of Organic Molecules: Implications for the Quest of Organics on Mars with the SAM Experiment Onboard the Curiosity Rover

One among the main objectives of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment is the in situ molecular analysis of gases evolving from solid samples heated up to approximately 850 degrees Centigrade, and collected by Curiosity on Mars surface/sub-surface in Gale crater. With this aim, SAM uses a gas-chromatograph coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-QMS) devoted to separate, detect and identify both volatile inorganic and organic compounds. SAM detected chlorinated organic molecules produced in evolved gas analysis (EGA) experiments. Several of these were also detected by the Viking experiments in 1976. SAM also detected oxychlorine compounds that were present at the Phoenix landing site. The oxychlorines may be prevelant over much of the martian surface. The C1 to C3 aliphatic chlorohydrocarbons (chloromethane and di- and trichloromethane) detected by SAM were attributed to reaction products occurring between the oxychlorines phases and the organic compounds coming from SAM instrument background. But SAM also showed the presence of a large excess of chlorobenzene and C2 to C4 dichloroalkanes among the volatile species released by the Cumberland sample of the Sheepbed mudstone. For the first time in the history of the Mars exploration, this proved the presence of Mars indigenous organic material at the Mars' surface. However, the identification of the precursor organic compounds of these chlorohydrocarbons is difficult due to the complexity of the reactions occurring during the sample pyrolysis. Laboratory pyrolysis experiments have demonstrated that oxychlorines phases such as perchlorates and chlorates, decomposed into dioxygen and volatile chlorine bearing molecules (HCl and/or Cl2) during the pyrolysis. These chemical species can then react with the organic molecules present in the martian solid samples through oxidation, chlorination and oxychlorination processes.

Millan, M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Reflectivity Around the Gold M-Edges of X-ray Reflector of the Soft X-Ray Telescope Onboard ASTRO-H

The X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H are equipped with two equivalent soft X-ray telescopes (SXT-I and SXT-S) which cover the energy band 0.3-12 keV. The X-ray reflectors of the SXTs are coated with a gold monolayer by means of the replication technique. A series of gold M absorption edges in the 2-4 keV band causes complex structures in the energy response of the SXTs. In the same band, there are astrophysically important emission lines from Si, Ar and S. Since the SXS has unprecedentedly high spectral resolution, we have measured the reflectivity around the gold M-edges in an extremely fine energy pitch at the synchrotron radiation facility KEK PF BL11-B, with the 2 eV pitch in 2100 eV to 4100 eV band that covers the entire series of the absorption edges (M-I through M-V) at grazing incident angles to the reflectors of 0.5, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4 degree, and with a finer pitch of 0.25 eV in the 2200 eV to 2350 eV band where the two deepest M-IV and M-V edges are included. In the resultant reflectivity curves, we have clearly identified the fine structures associated with all the M-edges. Using these data, we calculated atomic scattering factor f1 as a function of X-ray energy, with which we have built the mirror response function which can be applied to the Suzaku spectra. As a result, we have found that discrepancy of the spectral model to the Suzaku data of 4U1630-472 (a black hole transient) and the Crab nebula around the M-edges are significantly reduced from those with the official Suzaku response.

ASTRO-H↗
NASA NTRS2016

Reflectivity Around the Gold L-Edges of X-Ray Reflector of the Soft X-Ray Telescope Onboard ASTRO-H

We report the atomic scattering factor in the 11.215.4 keV for the ASTRO-H Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) obtained in the ground based measurements. The large effective area of the SXT covers above 10 keV. In fact, the flight data show the spectra of the celestical objects in the hard X-ray band. In order to model the area, the reflectivity measurements in the 11.2-15.4 keV band with the energy pitch of 0.4-0.7 eV were made in the synchrotron beamline Spring-8 BL01B1. We obtained atomic scattering factors f1 and f2 by the curve fitting to the reflectivities of our witness sample. The edges associated with the golds L-I, II, and III transitions are identified, of which the depths are found to be roughly 60 percent shallower than those expected from the Henke's atomic scattering factor.

X-rays↗
NASA NTRS2017

Multispectral Snapshot Imagers Onboard Small Satellite Formations for Multi-Angular Remote Sensing

Multispectral snapshot imagers are capable of producing 2D spatial images with a single exposure at selected, numerous wavelengths using the same camera, therefore operate differently from push broom or whiskbroom imagers. They are payloads of choice in multi-angular, multi-spectral imaging missions that use small satellites flying in controlled formation, to retrieve Earth science measurements dependent on the targets Bidirectional Reflectance-Distribution Function (BRDF). Narrow fields of view are needed to capture images with moderate spatial resolution. This paper quantifies the dependencies of the imagers optical system, spectral elements and camera on the requirements of the formation mission and their impact on performance metrics such as spectral range, swath and signal to noise ratio (SNR). All variables and metrics have been generated from a comprehensive, payload design tool. The baseline optical parameters selected (diameter 7 cm, focal length 10.5 cm, pixel size 20 micron, field of view 1.15 deg) and snapshot imaging technologies are available. The spectral components shortlisted were waveguide spectrometers, acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF), electronically actuated Fabry-Perot interferometers, and integral field spectrographs. Qualitative evaluation favored AOTFs because of their low weight, small size, and flight heritage. Quantitative analysis showed that waveguide spectrometers perform better in terms of achievable swath (10-90 km) and SNR (greater than 20) for 86 wavebands, but the data volume generated will need very high bandwidth communication to downlink. AOTFs meet the external data volume caps well as the minimum spectral (wavebands) and radiometric (SNR) requirements, therefore are found to be currently feasible in spite of lower swath and SNR.

Nag, Sreeja↗
NASA NTRS2016

Cloud Onboarding with NGAP

Deployment of applications to the cloud, as opposed to on-premises, presents a number of new challenges to operations. Using an EOSDIS application deployed to NGAP as an example, we outline the commonality and differences you need to be aware of to successfully operate your application on the cloud.

Operations↗
NASA NTRS2017

Successful Space Flight of High-Speed InGaAs Photodiode Onboard the International Space Station

Photonic systems are required for several space applications, including satellite communication links and lidar sensors. Although such systems are ubiquitous in terrestrial applications, deployment in space requires the constituent components to withstand extreme environmental conditions, including wide operating temperature range, mechanical shock and vibration, and radiation. These conditions are significantly more stringent than alternative standards, namely Bellcore GR-468 and MIL-STD 883, which may be satisfied by typical, commercially available, photonic components. Furthermore, it is very difficult to simultaneously reproduce several aspects of space environment, including exposure to galactic cosmic rays (GCR), in a laboratory. Therefore, it is necessary to operate key photonic components in space to achieve a technology readiness level of 7 and beyond. Accordingly, the International Space Station (ISS) provides an invaluable test bed for qualifying such components for space missions. We present a fiber-pigtailed photodiode module, having a -3 dB bandwidth of 16.8 GHz, that survived 18 months on the ISS as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 7 mission. This module was launched by NASA Langley Research Center on November 16, 2009 on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129), as part of their lidar transceiver components. While orbiting on the ISS in a passive experiment container, the photodiode module was exposed to extreme temperature cycling from -157 degrees Celsius to +121 degrees Celsius 16 times a day, proton radiation from the inner Van Allen belt at the South Atlantic Anomaly, and galactic cosmic rays. The module returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-134) on June 1, 2011 for further characterization. The post flight test of the photodiode module, shown in Fig. 1a, demonstrates no change in the module's performance, thus proving its survivability during launch and in space environment.

Joshi, Abhay↗
NASA NTRS2018

Increasing Human Spaceflight Capabilities: Demonstration of Crew Autonomy Through Self-Scheduling Onboard International Space Station

For the first time in a spaceflight operational environment, our team enabled an ISS (International Space Station) crewmember to plan, reschedule, and execute their activities in real-time while abiding by flight and scheduling constraints. The Crew Autonomous Scheduling Test (CAST) investigated the novel concept of operations: allowing crew to manage their own timeline.

crew autonomy↗
NASA NTRS2018

Analysis of Performance Degradation of Silica Gels After Extended Use Onboard the ISS

The teardown of two flight desiccant beds from the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) revealed significant discoloration of the silica gel near the bed inlet as well as a coincidental performance loss. This material was analyzed for the presence of chemical contaminants, physical porosity changes, and adsorption performance. The material characteristics are compared against the location in the bed from which they were sampled in order to develop profiles through the bed. Additional testing of the beds prior to teardown provided more data points. Possible mechanisms for the loss of capacity are provided though no root cause has been found. Extrapolation of the performance loss is used to estimate the required oversizing of the silica gel layer for long-term operation.

Cmarik, Gregory E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Analysis of Performance Degradation of Silica Gels After Extended Use Onboard the ISS

The disassembly of two flight desiccant beds from the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) revealed significant discoloration of the silica gel near the bed inlet as well as a coincidental performance loss. This material was analyzed for the presence of chemical contaminants, physical porosity changes, and adsorption performance. The material characteristics are compared against the location in the bed from which they were sampled in order to develop profiles through the bed. Additional testing of the beds prior to disassembly provided more data points. Possible mechanisms for the loss of capacity are provided though no root cause has been confirmed. Extrapolation of the performance loss is used to estimate the required oversizing of the silica gel layer for long-term operation.

Cmarik, Gregory E.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Demonstrating Autonomous Mission Operations Onboard the International Space Station

The NASA Autonomous Mission Operations (AMO) project conducted an experiment to turn over operation and management of selected International Space Station (ISS) sys- tems to the on-board crew. ISS crews managed two different spacecraft systems: the Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA), a water quality analyzer, and Station Support Com- puters (SSC) laptops, which are non-critical crew computer systems. These systems were selected because they are representative of systems a future crew may need to operate au- tonomously during a deep space mission. The crew autonomously operated these systems, taking on mission operations functions traditionally performed by support teams on the ground, using new software tools that provide decision support algorithms for planning, monitoring and fault management, hardware schematics, system briefs, and data displays that are normally unavailable to the crew. The experiment lasted seven months, during which ISS crews managed TOCA and SSCs on 22 occasions. The AMO software processed data from TOCA and SSCs continuously during this seven month period. The combined performance of the software and crew achieved a 88 success rate on managing TOCA activity, the system for which ground-truth was available.

Autonomous Mission Operations↗
NASA NTRS2014

Exposure to Microgravity for 30 Days Onboard Bion M1 Caused Muscle Atrophy and Decreased Regeneration in the Mouse Femoral Quadriceps

Mechanical unloading of muscle during spaceflight in microgravity is known to cause muscular atrophy, changes in muscle fiber type composition, gene expression, and reductions in regenerative muscle growth. Although limited data exists for long-term effects of microgravity in human muscle, these processes have mostly been studied in rodents for short periods of time. Here we report on how 30-day, long-term, mechanical unloading in microgravity affects mouse muscle of the femoral Quadriceps group. To conduct these studies we used muscle tissue from 6 mice from the NASA Biospecimen Sharing Program conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, during the Russian Bion M1 biosatellite mission in 2013. Muscle morphology observed in histological sections shows signs of extensive atrophy and regenerative hypoplasia. Specifically, we observed a two-fold decrease in the number of myonuclei, their central location, low density of myofibers and myofibrils, in fragmentation and swelling of myofibers. Despite obvious atrophy, muscle regeneration nevertheless appears to have continued after 30 days in microgravity as evidenced by thin and short newly formed myofibers. Many of them however showed evidence of apoptotic, TUNEL positive cells and myofibrils degradation, suggesting long-term unloading in microgravity affects late stages of myofiber differentiation. Ground asynchronous and vivarium control animals showed normal, well-developed tissue structure with sufficient blood and nerve supply and evidence of regenerative formation of new myofibers free of apoptotic nuclei. Myonuclei stress response in spaceflight animals was detected by positive nuclear immunolocalization of c-jun and c-myc proteins. Regenerative activity of satellite cells in muscles is detected in mice of all animal groups, by pax7, MyoD, and myogenin immunostaining and myogenin PCR analysis. In summary, long-term spaceflight in microgravity causes significant atrophy and degeneration of the femoral Quadriceps muscle group, and it may interfere with muscle regenerative processes by inducing apoptosis in newly-formed myofibrils during their differentiation phase.

Grigoryan, E. N.↗