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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

NASA Earth Science Data Rescue Efforts

Historically, at the end of a NASA mission, earth and space science data were stored at NASA's National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). The original data archive consisted of both magnetic tapes and film media. As data storage technology improved, data from later missions were stored on disks and platters and higher capacity magnetic media for online accessibility. To conserve physical space at NASA archive sites and to meet disaster recovery guidelines, historical data originally stored on magnetic tapes and film were moved to the Federal Archives and Record Center (FRC) as a temporary holding area until its long-term value was determined by NASA. All records at the FRC are controlled by the NASA Records Retention Schedule (NRRS) which determines the disposal date for each record. On that date, responsible NASA parties are notified that all scheduled records should be reviewed and assessed to determine if they continue to hold significant historical, scientific or administrative value. For Earth Science data records being held at FRC, the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project office is the party responsible for making the value assessment that determines which records warrant preservation and which are ready for proper disposal according to NASA guidelines. Once the data's long-term value is determined, ESDIS takes definitive steps to preserve this data for future discovery and access. Deteriorating media containing historic data of value are recalled from FRC and brought back to ESDIS. Through a tedious, laborious process, digital data are recovered and restored to modern formats with improved metadata and documentation to aid discovery. The restored digital products are then incorporated into our modern online archive, and made immediately accessible to the public. In this paper, we will discuss how we identify data-at-risk, ways to minimize data loss, how we plan for recovery, how we delegate recovery activities to our archive facilities, and how we make recovered data more accessible.

Data Systems; Social and Information sciences↗
NASA NTRS2019

Results of NASA's Magnetic Gear Program to Date

In rotorcraft, one of the main sources of mechanical failure is the gearbox, because of the many wear and failure modes associated with tooth contact in traditional mechanical gear boxes. Magnetic gears transmit torque without mechanical tooth contact between gear bodies and therefore they have none of the tooth contact related failure modes associated with mechanical gearing. As a result, magnetic gears have the potential to enable more reliable rotorcraft gearboxes. However, magnetic gears have not been demonstrated to match the performance of mechanical gearboxes at a high enough technology readiness level (TRL) to be used on an aircraft to date. To that end, NASA's Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technologies project has made an investment in developing magnetic gearboxes specifically for electrified vertical lift vehicles (EVTOL). In this presentation, the results of that investment to date will be discussed.

Tallerico, Thomas↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Next Steps: Laying the Groundwork for Bundle Protocol v7

Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) is a networking model and protocol suite that extends the terrestrial internet to the challenging communication environments of space. These environments are typically subject to frequent disruptions, which can cause delays or errors. DTN protects data transmission by wrapping data into bundles (similar to Internet Protocol packets), storing them until a connection can be established between two nodes (similar to terrestrial routers or computers), and forwarding them to their destinations. Bundle Protocol (BP) is responsible for generating those bundles and creates the transport layer of DTN, much like how Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) create the transport layer of the Internet Protocol. BPv6 is the current, accepted version of the Bundle Protocol standard. However, recent missions and test implementations have revealed missing components and areas for improvement in the standard. Using lessons learned from NASA missions and gathering inspiration from the Internet Protocol, BPv7 is intended to be a more robust Bundle Protocol that improves upon its predecessor and increases the technology readiness level of the DTN architecture. The DTN Standard Interface Design team, a sub-team of the DTN Infusion Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center, worked to create a dictionary of terms for bundle components and functional decomposition of the protocol. These efforts aided in the standardization of BP interfaces, something missing from BPv6, and supported parallel network management and configuration work. This standardization will ultimately contribute to LunaNet (a lunar communications and navigation architecture that will bring networking, positioning, navigation, timing and science services to the Moon), the Solar System Internet (SSI), and expand crewed and uncrewed space exploration opportunities.

DTN↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Next Steps: Laying the Groundwork for Bundle Protocol v7

Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) is a networking model and protocol suite that extends the terrestrial internet to the challenging communication environments of space. These environments are typically subject to frequent disruptions, which can cause delays or errors. DTN protects data transmission by wrapping data into bundles (similar to Internet Protocol packets), storing them until a connection can be established between two nodes (similar to terrestrial routers or computers), and forwarding them to their destinations. Bundle Protocol (BP) is responsible for generating those bundles and creates the transport layer of DTN, much like how Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) create the transport layer of the Internet Protocol. BPv6 is the current, accepted version of the Bundle Protocol standard. However, recent missions and test implementations have revealed missing components and areas for improvement in the standard. Using lessons learned from NASA missions and gathering inspiration from the Internet Protocol, BPv7 is intended to be a more robust Bundle Protocol that improves upon its predecessor and increases the technology readiness level of the DTN architecture. The DTN Standard Interface Design team, a sub-team of the DTN Infusion Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center, worked to create a dictionary of terms for bundle components and functional decomposition of the protocol. These efforts aided in the standardization of BP interfaces, something missing from BPv6, and supported parallel network management and configuration work. This standardization will ultimately contribute to LunaNet (a lunar communications and navigation architecture that will bring networking, positioning, navigation, timing and science services to the Moon), the Solar System Internet (SSI), and expand crewed and uncrewed space exploration opportunities.

dtn↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ristra Project FY23 L2 Milestone Report, Rev.1: MRT #8541: Multiphysics Scaling on EAS-3

The findings of this report were used to close out the ATDM milestone MRT# 8541, which was designed to demonstrate readiness of ATDM multiphysics codes for mission-relevant work on ATS-4, El Capitan. To this end, the closure criteria were to run a 3D shaped charge problem at scale up to 50% of the El Capitan early-access system, RZVernal (AMD Trento CPUs and AMD MI-250X GPUs), demonstrate scalability, and document challenges with the software stack and environment. LANL’s approach to this milestone was to test our modular software capability by developing an entirely new code, Moya, built upon our FleCSI framework. The physics capability and the GPU infrastructure needed for the shaped charge problem on GPUs was added to Moya, and the required calculations were performed at scale. Moya showed good scaling without any fine-tuning of GPU kernels; there is still significant room for performance enhancements, especially for the Legion backend. Tied up in this L2 milestone was a closeout of KPP-3s for the ECP ST Projects at LANL; this material will be covered in a separate document.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2009

When Failure Means Success: Accepting Risk in Aerospace Development

Over the last three decades, NASA has been diligent in qualifying systems for human space flight. As the Agency transitions from operating the Space Shuttle, its employees must learn to accept higher risk levels to generate the data needed to certify its next human space flight system. The Marshall Center s Engineering workforce is developing the Ares I crew launch vehicle and designing the Ares V cargo launch vehicle for safety, reliability, and cost-effective operations. This presentation will provide a risk retrospective, using first-hand examples from the Delta Clipper-Experimental Advanced (DC-XA) and the X-33 single-stage-to-orbit flight demonstrators, while looking ahead to the upcoming Ares I-X uncrewed test flight. The DC-XA was successfully flown twice in 26 hours, setting a new turnaround-time record. Later, one of its 3 landing gears did not deploy, it tipped over, and was destroyed. During structural testing, the X-33 s advanced composite tanks were unable to withstand the forces to which it was subjected and the project was later cancelled. These are examples of successful failures, as the data generated are captured in databases used by vehicle designers today. More recently, the Ares I-X flight readiness review process was streamlined in keeping with the mission's objectives, since human lives are not at stake, which reflects the beginning of a cultural change. Failures are acceptable during testing, as they provide the lessons that actually lead to mission success. These and other examples will stimulate the discussion of when to accept risk in aerospace projects.

Dumbacher, Daniel L.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mini-Split Heat Pump Evaluation and Zero Energy Ready Home Support

IBACOS worked with builder Imagine Homes to evaluate the performance of an occupied new construction test house following construction of the house in the hot, humid climate of San Antonio, Texas. The project measures the effectiveness of a space conditioning strategy using a multihead mini-split heat pump (MSHP) system in a reduced-load home to achieve acceptable comfort levels (temperature and humidity) and energy performance. IBACOS collected long-term data and analyzed the energy consumption and comfort conditions of the occupied house after one year of operation. Although measured results indicate that the test system provides comfort both inside and outside the ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 range, the occupants of the house claimed both adequate comfort and appreciation of the ease of use and flexibility of the installed MSHP system. IBACOS also assisted the builder to evaluate design and specification changes necessary to comply with Zero Energy Ready Home, but the builder chose to not move forward with it because of concerns about the 'solar ready' requirements of the program.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

DOE Repository Metadata Profile (DRMP): A Metadata Framework for Advancing Interoperability and AI Readiness Across Scientific Repositories

The Department of Energy (DOE) funds a diverse and distributed ecosystem of repositories that steward scientific data, publications, and software across its research programs, user facilities, and national laboratories. While significant progress has been made in standardizing dataset-level metadata, the metadata describing repositories themselves (their identity, governance, access interfaces, policies, and technical capabilities) remains inconsistent and fragmented across DOE-funded systems. This variability limits discoverability, interoperability, automated validation, and AI-driven analysis, all of which are increasingly essential for modern scientific workflows. To address this gap, the DOE Data Curation Working Group (DCWG) developed the DOE Repository Metadata Profile (DRMP). The DRMP is a practical, community-driven framework that defines how repositories can describe themselves in a consistent, machine-actionable, and scalable manner. The DRMP is not a new metadata schema. Instead, it is a mapping profile and structured element set capturing the essential characteristics of DOE repositories. It harmonizes repository-level metadata across six widely adopted community schemas: RE3Data; DCAT-US v3; Schema.org; Dublin Core; DataCite 4.6; and PREMIS 3.0. This harmonization eliminates reinvention and enables interoperability within DOE and across the broader scientific ecosystem. A core objective of the DRMP is to reduce burden on repositories by allowing them to reuse their existing metadata through a Rosetta-style crosswalk rather than redesigning local implementations. The profile introduces a three-level conformance model that supports incremental adoption: • Level 1 – Minimum Viable Record (MVR): foundational identification elements required for workflows, project registration, and basic repository presence. • Level 2 – Interoperable: structured metadata enabling alignment with national and international discovery systems. • Level 3 – AI-Ready: enhanced provenance, policy transparency, fixity, semantic context, and capabilities that support automated reasoning, model training governance, and machine-assisted curation. To support implementation, the DRMP includes JSON Schema definitions, OpenAPI patterns, and MCP templates that allow repositories to publish machine-readable metadata directly within existing platforms. These resources are modular and lightweight, enabling adoption without major architectural change. Adopting the DRMP enables repositories to: • Enhance discoverability and interoperability by aligning identifiers, classifications, and descriptive elements across widely used schema standards. • Support federated discovery and cross-registration across DOE systems, Data.gov, and international catalogs. • Enable AI agents and workflow orchestration systems to interpret repository-level metadata within the American Science Cloud (AmSC) through Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based context publication. • Demonstrate alignment with DOE’s open science, stewardship, and FAIR data priorities. This guidance represents a community-driven step forward. Through voluntary adoption and continued feedback, the DRMP advances a cohesive, machine-actionable description of DOE repositories that supports FAIR data practices, preparing the infrastructure for AI-enabled research, and strengthening the discoverability and reuse of DOE’s scientific outputs.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

ExaSGD: 2022 Kernel Thrust Activities

The Kernel Thrust milestone ADSE22-407 covers the development of device-capable optimization algorithms and solvers technologies required by the ExaSGD project’s software stack in order to solve security-constrained alternating current optimal power flow (SC-ACOPF) problems on emerging exascale architectures. To this extent, in FY22 the main objective of the Kernel Thrust was (i) provide sparse optimization solver that runs efficiently on hardware accelerator devices (i.e., NVIDIA and AMD GPUs) to perform intra-node computations, (ii) strengthen the reliability and increase the performance of the mixed-dense sparse (MDS) solver of HiOp for deployment on the FY22 target architectures, Summit and Crusher, and (iii) increase performance by improving the mathematical algorithm and refining the parallel MPI-based implementation of the coarse-grain parallel solver HiOp-PriDec for capabilities deployment on the FY22 target architectures, Summit and Crusher. This document presents the developments and contributions done by the Kernels Thrust Team in FY22 toward completion of the above-mentioned objectives. These contributions progressed along four main development (sub)thrusts: (1) Design and implementation of a sparse optimization solver for use on hardware accelerators; (2) Improvement of the mathematical algorithm and of the parallel implementation of HiOp-PriDec to ensure readiness and efficient coarse-grain parallelism for FY23 target exascale machine; and (3) Support Software and Application Development Thrusts of the exaSGD project in their deployment of the project’s software stack on AMD- and NVIDIA-based architectures. The development of the sparse optimization solver (thrust 1 above) was new in FY22 and resulted in a new sparse solver in HiOp (available as of version 0.6). The second development thrust was a continuation of the efforts from FY21 and improved the mathematical algorithm and the communication strategy of the HiOp-PriDec solver. The last developement thrust is a large collaborative effort. Namely, the project’s teams from multiple labs (LLNL, PNNL, ORNL, and NREL) performed large-scale demonstration of the ExaSGD software stack, namely the optimization solvers of HiOp interfaced with the modeling front-end ExaGO and the stochastic sampler PowerScenarios. These demonstration efforts solved large-scale instances of the SC-ACOPF challenge problem of medium network sizes (10, 000-bus system) and large number of contingencies on Summit (NVIDIA accelerators) and Crusher (AMD accelerators) systems at ORNL.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2001

Aeronautical-Satellite-Assisted Process Being Developed for Information Exchange Through Network Technologies (Aero-SAPIENT)

Communications technologies are being developed to address safety issues during aviation travel. Some of these technologies enable the aircraft to be in constant bidirectional communications with necessary systems, people, and other aircraft that are not currently in place today. Networking technologies, wireless datalinks, and advanced avionics techniques are areas of particular importance that the NASA Glenn Research Center has contributed. Glenn, in conjunction with the NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, and NASA Langley Research Center, is investigating methods and applications that would utilize these communications technologies. In mid-June 2000, the flight readiness of the network and communications technologies were demonstrated via a simulated aircraft. A van simulating an aircraft was equipped with advanced phased-array antennas (Advanced Communications/Air Traffic Management (AC/ATM) Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project) that used commercial Ku-band satellite communications to connect Glenn, Dryden, and Ames in a combined system ground test. This test simulated air-ground bidirectional transport of real-time digital audio, text, and video data via a hybrid network configuration that demonstrated the flight readiness of the network and communications technologies. Specifically, a Controller Pilot Data Link Communications application was used with other applications to demonstrate a multiprotocol capability via Internet-protocol encapsulated ATN (Aeronautical Telecommunications Network) data packets. The significance of this combined ground test is its contribution to the Aero Information Technology Base Program Level I milestone (Software Technology investment area) of a real-time data link for the National Airspace System. The objective of this milestone was to address multiprotocol technology applicable for real-time data links between aircraft, a satellite, and the ground as well as the ability to distribute flight data with multilevel priorities among several sites.

Zernic, Michael J.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Overcoming Waste Removal Challenges at Savannah River Site: A Case Study of Tank 15 - 16198

Tank 15 is a High Level Waste Tank at the Savannah River Site containing sludge waste that had been allowed to dry due to several flaws in the primary tank wall. In order to remove the tank waste, the sludge had to first be re-hydrated. Due to the age of Tank 15 and the thirty years of 'dry sludge tank' status, there were numerous technical challenges and risks that had to be addressed to demonstrate operational readiness to add liquid to a tank with known flaws. Liquid management was a key to readiness since Tank 15 did not have the infrastructure to mitigate waste accumulating in the annulus or to transfer waste out of the primary tank as a means to control a large leak. The project team's fundamental expectation was that some amount of liquid would migrate to the annulus through identified flaws as the sludge waste was re-hydrated. Communication was crucial to ensuring this expectation was propagated to management, the customer, and the regulators. Equipment upgrades, provisions for annulus liquid management (monitoring and removal), and readiness for outgoing transfers mitigated waste migration. Liquid addition methodology and facility modifications were developed to safely re-hydrate the sludge while monitoring the integrity of the primary tank. These efforts culminated in successfully adding 697 m{sup 3} (184,000 gal) of liquid to Tank 15, re-hydrating the sludge waste. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

EIC Detector Overview

The Electron Ion Collider will have two interaction regions that can be instrumented with detectors. Here, the first region will be instrumented as part of the project and needs to be capable of delivering the physics that has been outlined by the National Academy of Sciences and ready at the start of beam commissioning near the end of this decade. Plans for a second complementary detector to be located at a second interaction region are already in progress and will hopefully come to fruition just few years after the first detector comes online. While the basic parameters of these detectors are being selected using conventional approaches, the optimization of the detectors is already being enhanced by making use of advanced optimization techniques.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solar +: Clean Energy Strategies for the Sunshine State (Final Technical Report (FTR) of the Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness (FAASSTeR))

This reports on a four-year effort to provide foundational research, analysis, strategies and assistance to help Florida, and other states that might learn from this work, to grow solar energy in conjunction with other distributed energy resources by addressing and overcoming existing barriers, and in way that delivers increased value. The start of this effort coincided with an inflection point of sorts into a new dawn for solar energy in Florida, where the Sunshine state’s national ranking in total installed solar, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), has rose from 13th to 4th. Florida has now become the national leader in annual utility-scale solar growth as dozens of large plants have come online. Also, during this time, Florida utilities have expressed a strong and growing interest in understanding the role of energy storage and how to best plan for and deploy this unique resource as part of strategies to grow solar. The utility-scale solar growth experienced has been fueled by the economics of solar cost-parity with natural gas combined cycle plants and Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) approval of cost-recovery for the Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU’s), primarily through the Solar Base Rate Adjustment (SoBRA) mechanism. This has led to gigawatts (GW’s) of rate-based solar capacity additions over several years, along with fairly significant amounts of energy storage. Meanwhile, municipal electric utilities, which, collectively, are the third largest source of power in the state, have been increasing solar considerably through power purchase agreements (PPA’s) and are on track to have close to 1 GW of grid-connected solar by 2024. Florida’s municipal utilities and the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) have been key partners in the Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness (FAASSTeR), formed to carry out this effort. The six largest of these have been Core Team utilities, engaging throughout the project in weekly calls, discussions, and project direction, participating in and hosting workshops and benefiting from technical assistance in several areas.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1993

Simplified power processing for inert gas ion thrusters

Significant simplifications to power processors for inert gas ion thrusters in the 1 to 5 kW range have been identified. They include elimination of all but three power supplies - one each for the neutralizer, main discharge, and beam. The neutralizer and discharge power supplies would provide both cathode heating and plasma generating functions. This dual-use power supply concept was validated via integration tests with a 30 cm diameter xenon ion thruster. The beam/accelerator power supply would have positive and negative outputs to allow a single power supply to provide both functions. The discharge and beam power supplies would incorporate full-bridge inverters similar to those proven for flight-ready arcjet propulsion systems. Operation of this simplified power processing scheme at an inverter frequency of 50 kHz results in a projected power processor design with low mass and high efficiency. A 2 kW reference point design has estimated values of specific mass of 5.4 kg/kW and an efficiency of 93 percent.

Rawlin, V. K.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Compact, Engineered, 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Prototype: A New NASA Instrument Incubator Program Project

A new project, selected in 2005 by NASA s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) under the Instrument Incubator Program (IIP), will be described. The 3-year effort is intended to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a packaged, rugged, compact, space-qualifiable coherent Doppler wind lidar (DWL) transceiver capable of future validation in an aircraft and/or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The packaged DWL will utilize the numerous advances in pulsed, solid-state, 2-micron laser technology at NASA s Langley Research Center (LaRC) in such areas as crystal composition, architecture, efficiency, cooling techniques, pulse energy, and beam quality. The extensive experience of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (RSAS) in coherent lidar systems, in spacebased sensors, and in packaging rugged lidar systems will be applied to this project. The packaged transceiver will be as close to an envisioned space-based DWL system as the resources and technology readiness allow. We will attempt to facilitate a future upgrade to a coherent lidar system capable of simultaneous wind and CO2 concentration profile measurements. Since aerosol and dust concentration is also available from the lidar signal, the potential for a triple measurement lidar system is attractive for both Earth and Mars remote sensing. A key follow on step after the IIP will be to add a telescope, scanner, and software for aircraft validation. This IIP should also put us in a position to begin a parallel formulation study in the 2006-2007 timeframe for a space-based DWL demonstration mission early next decade.

Kavaya, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Flight Team Development in Support of LCROSS - A Class D Mission

The LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) project presented a number of challenges to the preparation for mission operations. A class D mission under NASA s risk tolerance scale, LCROSS was governed by a $79 million cost cap and a 29 month schedule from "authority to proceed" to flight readiness. LCROSS was NASA Ames Research Center s flagship mission in its return to spacecraft flight operations after many years of pursuing other strategic goals. As such, ARC needed to restore and update its mission support infrastructure, and in parallel, the LCROSS project had to newly define operational practices and to select and train a flight team combining experienced operators and staff from other arenas of ARC research. This paper describes the LCROSS flight team development process, which deeply involved team members in spacecraft and ground system design, implementation and test; leveraged collaborations with strategic partners; and conducted extensive testing and rehearsals that scaled in realism and complexity in coordination with ground system and spacecraft development. As a testament to the approach, LCROSS successfully met its full mission objectives, despite many in-flight challenges, with its impact on the lunar south pole on October 9, 2009.

Tompkins, Paul D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Fabrication and Design Testing of 4 Petals for Deployable Starshade Prototype : JPL Summer Internship Program : Final Report

One of the next steps in the exoplanet search is the development of occulter technology. Starlight suppression for a telescope would provide the ability to more accurately find and characterize potential true-Earth analogs. Coronagraphs have been the subject of much research in recent years but have yet to prove themselves a feasible approach. Attention has now turned to external occulters or starshades. A large occulting mask in front of a telescope should provide a comparable optical resolution to a coronagraph. Under a TDEM grant, a proposed starshade design was demonstrated to exceed coronagraph resolution by at least an order of magnitude. The current project is to demonstrate that the current design can be manufactured and then properly deployed. 4 sample starshade petals were constructed, ready to be attached to a pre-existing deployment truss. Time was spent detailing and modifying the petal construction process, so that future petals could be constructed at a more accurate and faster pace.

Starshade petals↗