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NASA NTRS2022

Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope

The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) has been strongly endorsed as a top community priority by both Astronomy & Astrophysics Decadal Surveys and Solar & Space Physics Decadal Surveys in the past two decades. Although it was developed to a high state of readiness in previous years (it went through a CATE analysis and was declared “doable now”), the NSF has not had the funding mechanisms in place to fund this mid-scale program. Now it does, and the community must seize this opportunity to modernize the FASR design and build the instrument in this decade. The concept and its science potential have been abundantly proven by the pathfinding Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA), which has demonstrated a small subset of FASR’s key capabilities such as dynamically measuring the evolving magnetic field in eruptive flares, the temporal and spatial evolution of the electron energy distribution in flares, and the extensive coupling among dynamic components (flare, flux rope, current sheet). The FASR concept, which is orders of magnitude more powerful than EOVSA, is low-risk and extremely high reward, exploiting a fundamentally new research domain in solar and space weather physics. Utilizing dynamic broadband imaging spectropolarimetry at radio wavelengths, with its unique sensitivity to coronal magnetic fields and to both thermal plasma and nonthermal electrons from large flares to extremely weak transients, the ground-based FASR will make synoptic measurements of the coronal magnetic field and map emissions from the chromosphere to the middle corona in 3D. With its high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, as well as its superior imaging fidelity and dynamic range, FASR is poised to provide a system-wide perspective on myriad coupled phenomena. FASR will be a highly complementary and synergistic component of solar and heliospheric observing capabilities that is critically needed to support the next generation of solar science.

Dale E. Gary↗

DOE OSTI2017

Financial Impacts of a Combined Energy Efficiency and Net-Metered PV Portfolio on a Prototypical Northeast Utility

Reductions in electricity consumption from customer-funded energy efficiency (EE) programs and distributed photovoltaic (PV) are expected to dramatically increase over the next ten years. While EE programs and net-metered PV provide numerous utility, customer, and societal benefits, including utility cost reductions, lower customer bills, and achievement of clean energy public policy goals, they may contribute to stagnant or declining retail sales for electric utilities. Investor-owned utilities are concerned about stagnant or declining sales as they undermine existing regulatory and ratemaking approaches to cover fixed costs and may negatively impact utility profitability. Current retail rate designs allocate a large fraction of fixed costs to volumetric energy charges creating challenges for the utility’s recovery of its fixed costs due to reductions in retail sales between rate cases.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

Hangman Catalysis for Photo–and Photoelectro–Chemical Activation of Water Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Mechanisms of Small Molecule Activation

The weakest link for the large-scale deployment of solar energy and for that matter, any renewable energy source, is its storage. The energy needs of future society demands are so large that storage must be in the form of fuels owing to their high energy density. Indeed, society has intuitively understood this disparity in energy density as it has developed over the last century as all large-scale energy storage in our society is in the form of fuels. But these fuels are carbon-based. The imperative for the discipline of chemistry, and more generally science, is to develop fuel storage methods that are easily scalable, carbon-neutral and sustainable. These methods demand the creation of catalysts to manage the multi-electron, multi-proton transformations of the conversion of small molecules into fuels. The splitting of water using solar light is a fuel-forming reaction that meets the imperative of large scale energy storage. As light does not directly act on water to engender its splitting into its elemental components, we have designed “hangman” catalysts to effect the energy conversion processes needed for the fuel forming reactions. The hangman construct utilizes a pendant acid/base functionality within the secondary coordination sphere that is “hung” above the redox platform onto which substrate binds. In this way, we can precisely control the delivery of a proton to the substrate, thus ensuring efficient coupling between the proton and electron. An emphasis was on the coupling of electron and proton in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Ni, Co and Fe porphyrin platforms. Electrokinetic rate laws were developed to define the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. The HER of Co and Fe porphyrins was metal-centered. Surprisingly, HER this was not the case for Ni porphyrins. In this system, the PCET occurred at the porphyrin platform to give rise to a phlorin. This is one of the first examples of an HER occurring via ligand non-innocence. The program was expanded to include other macrocycles with a focus on corroles. The photophyscial and electrochemical properties of a number of new metal- and free-base corroles were defined. Finally, the reaction chemistry of a new platform designed for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions. The hexacarboxamide cryptands was shown to be an ideal binucleating ligand for studies of oxygen. The electron transfer reaction of native oxygen in the absence of protons and metals was enabled for the first time, thus allowing us to observe new reactions of reduced oxygen with carbon dioxide. These results have had important consequence in shedding light on Li air batteries, and why these batteries cannot be recharged. This is the key issue impeding the technology development of Li-air batteries and therefore these results should be enlightening to the commercial development of Li-air batteries. Together, this portfolio of experiments provides a powerful insight to the crucial steps for the efficient conversion of small molecules to fuels and their subsequent use. To this end, the research program provides basic science to enable the low cost solar production of hydrogen from water and the reverse fuel cell reaction.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Developing a Supply Chain Security Program

Amid growing concerns over foreign manufacturing for components and devices deployed in critical energy infrastructure, this research from the national labs will highlight best practices for developing and maintaining a supply chain security program. Tools for asset inventory, tips for developing and maintaining software- and hardware-bills-of-materials (SBOMs and HBOMs), recommended contractual language for vendor agreements, and identification of responsibilities will be shared. We discuss the one-time requirements to enable a successful supply chain security program and the best ways to operationalize this program for maximum impact, including development of robust practices for vulnerability tracking, patch management, and workarounds, with understanding of the reliability and uptime requirements for utilities. The recommendations shared are based on a cyber-informed engineering approach to identification of high-consequence impacts and the engineering controls related to supply chain management that can best mitigate these impacts. This approach allows for prioritization of resources. Additionally, we highlight relative up-front and ongoing costs associated with recommended controls. Viewers will leave with an understanding what a supply chain security program is, and what steps, prioritized for resource-constrained organizations, can build a robust program.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1988

Autonomous space processor for orbital debris removal and flame augmentation additives in scramjets for the National Aerospace Plane

This is a brief description of the USRA-sponsored design project at the University of Arizona. Approximately eighty-percent of this effort was spent pursuing a novel engineering concept for the in-situ processing of orbital debris utilizing resources available in low Earth orbit (LEO); the other twenty-percent was devoted to discovering innovative additives for the anchoring of supersonic combustion zones that find direct use in the Aerospace Plane that is expected to use scramjets. The seriousness of the orbital debris problem is briefly described. Available 'solutions' are outlined from the literature. The engineering design is briefly mentioned, with an emphasis on the positive aspects of the space environment that should be used in an economical approach. The aspects of operating in microgravity, vacuum, and in utilizing solar energy are mentioned. A quantitative computer animation was developed to provide design data. Three specific dead spacecraft were identified for an initial cleanup mission. The design concept, which includes a solar processor, remote arm manipulators, and the gradual processing of the debris, is also described. This is followed by a description of hardware construction. Operation and actual processing of simulated debris parts (aluminum, for now) are demonstrated in the NASP task, construction of the new design for measuring the radiation from the key free radicals (as enhanced by the additives) is described. Immediate (1988) and long-range (through 1992) future plans are shown to clearly indicate the full engineering design strategy in the light of the national space program thrusts.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2023

Onsite Energy Techno-Economic Analysis Using REopt

Since 2019, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has collaborated with IEDO's Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment Program and the CHP Technical Assistance Partnerships (TAPs) to expand the capabilities of NREL's publicly available REopt® tool for techno-economic analysis of on-site energy. As a result, capabilities to analyze heating and cooling loads and serve those loads with CHP were added to the REopt tool in 2021. Currently, NREL is using REopt to evaluate the economics and feasibility of deploying distributed energy resources at sites of 3-5 manufacturers. The analysis is based on location, site-specific load data, customized utility bill analysis, and other criteria such as resilience needs and decarbonization targets. The objectives of the current effort are to (1) assist manufacturers with analyzing on-site energy options, including CHP, solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, and battery storage, (2) validate the capabilities and use of REopt to provide technical assistance to manufacturers, and (3) publish case studies showcasing the engagement, key takeaways, and lessons learned. Future work is expected to include additional REopt capabilities for evaluating other technologies to reduce scope 1 emissions, such as electrifying process heating loads, using carbon-free fuels, and other clean heat strategies.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

NASA NTRS1976

Orbital construction demonstration study

A conceptual design and program plan for an Orbital Construction Demonstration Article (OCDA) was developed that can be used for evaluating and establishing practical large structural assembly operations. A flight plan for initial placement and continued utility is presented as a basic for an entirely new shuttle payload line-item having great future potential benefit for space applications. The OCDA is a three-axis stabilized platform in low-earth orbit with many structural nodals for mounting large construction and fabrication equipments. This equipment would be used to explore methods for constructing the large structures for future missions. The OCDA would be supported at regular intervals by the shuttle. Construction experiments and consumables resupply are performed during shuttle visit periods. A 250 kw solar array provides sufficient power to support the shuttle while attached to the OCDA and to run construction experiments at the same time. Wide band communications with a Telemetry and Data Relay Satellite compatible high gain antenna can be used between shuttle revisits to perform remote controlled, TV assisted construction experiments.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2021

Advanced Energy Approaches for Mixed-Use Developments in the Front Range Urban Corridor

The primary objective of the document is to present example technical approaches and strategies that planners and developers can reference for all-electric mixed-use developments in the Rocky Mountain Front Range urban corridor that are considering advanced energy performance goals such as high levels of energy efficiency and renewable integration. The strategies are tailored toward the vision for a zero energy, all-electric, district thermal system-connected starter district. In this example, on-site solar generation is emphasized as a strategy that can be combined with electrical and thermal energy storage for enhanced community resilience and demand flexibility. Opportunities for utilizing or adapting these strategies include: sharing with vertical developers for potential integration of strategies into vertical design guidelines; incorporation into Owner Project Requirements (OPRs); providing example strategies to design teams as a starting point for design; informing structure of agenda for a building design charrette; comparing building designs to example strategies at various points in the design process to evaluate design progression. While the technical strategies outlined in this document can help inform the development of guidelines for projects in the Front Range urban corridor, this document does not set requirements for any rating, certification, program, or policy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2021

AGGREGATE: dAta-driven modelinG preservinG contRollable dEr for outaGe mAnagemenT and rEsiliency (Final Report)

The AGGREGATE project team successfully developed and validated various modules for outage management. Brief summaries of each module are provided to showcase their strength for outage management and restoration for a distribution system with a high penetration of connected distribution energy resources (DERs). In recent years, inverter-based DERs have been widely deployed in distribution system. A most of behind-the-meter (BTM) solar power generation is not visible to the utility. The data-driven DER and load estimation modules are using machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to manage this issue, which provides an opportunity for distribution system operators (DSOs) to operate systems and make decisions in real-time for a distribution system with a high penetration of DERs deployed. Also, the estimated DER and true load can be further leveraged in network aggregation and cold-load pick up estimation for reducing the computing complexity and providing for fast restoration. After load demand and DER power generations have been estimated, the information will support topology and state estimation (SE). The topology estimation module demonstrated the viability of mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation to estimate the most likely operational radial topology and outage sections using power flow measurements, historical/estimated load and DERs data and smart meter ping measurements. Formulation includes continuous (power flow, load and DERs data) and binary measurements (smart meter ping measurements) in a single formulation. Errors in continuous data and binary data are modeled as normal distribution and Bernoulli distribution, respectively. In the future distribution grid, the power injection from controllable DERs will be essential for efficient and resilient grid operation. However, determining the optimal DER injections and restoration actions is dependent on knowledge of the system states. State estimation (SE), already the cornerstone of transmission energy management systems, will become commonplace in distribution management systems as more measurements become available from deployment of automated metering infrastructure (AMI). Observability analysis is the first step in SE, as it determines the sufficiency of the available measurements for accurately estimating the current system states. A new type of pseudo-measurement called a Correlational Measurement (CM) is introduced in this module, to enhance the observability of the system to enable more accurate SE. CMs encapsulate knowledge of correlation between demand patterns for similar classes of loads as well as injection patterns for same-technology renewable DERs. During grid contingency scenarios, DERs have been traditionally disconnected, without any fault ride-through capabilities. However, with new regulations and better technology, it is feasible for these resources to contribute to the grid’s restoration after an adverse event and hence enhance resilience. The controllability module proposes a two-step restoration scheme for the power system restoration process by leveraging additional degrees of freedom in power electronics interfaced DERs for mitigating voltage problems. In a resilience mode without the utility system, the distribution grid relies on DERs to serve critical load. In such a severe event with multiple faults on the distribution feeders, actuation of various protective devices (PDs) divides the distribution system into electrical islands. The undetected actuated PDs due to fault current contributions from DERs can delay the restoration process, thereby reducing the system resilience. The Advanced Outage Management (AOM) and the Advanced Feeder Restoration (AFR) modules developed in this project provide improved system resilience with multiple DERs. AOM identifies the faulted sections and actuated PDs in a distribution system with DERs by incorporating smart meter data. The most credible outage scenario including fault locations, PD actuations, and fault indicator (FI) failures is identified by a set of binary integer linear programming incorporating hypotheses. The AFR module serves to restore a distribution system with available energy resources taking into consideration the availability of utility sources and DERs. By partitioning the system into islands, critical load will be served with the available generation resources within islands based on the solution of a MILP. When the utility systems become available, the optimal path will be determined by a spanning tree search algorithm that reconnects these islands back to substations and restores the remaining load. The transmission and distribution (T&D) co-simulation module was used to validate the effect of a control action performed on the distribution side assets as it propagates to the transmission side. This ensures that the control action performed results in a feasible operating point on both the transmission and the distribution system. In addition to validation, the team used the T&D co-simulation module to demonstrate how distribution system assets can be used to mitigate issues on the transmission system. Specifically, the team demonstrated that appropriate switching operations on the distribution side can alleviate the line overload condition on the transmission side without causing new operational constraint violations.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2024

GRACE Final Technical Report

The GRACE project (Grid that is Risk-Aware for Clean Electricity) was a five-year research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (ARPA-E) under the PERFORM program. Led by Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, with contributions from The Ohio State University, North Carolina State University, Dartmouth College, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the project addressed a fundamental challenge in grid management: conventional software plans for a single most-likely outcome and relies on reserves as a buffer, leaving utilities poorly equipped for the growing variability introduced by renewable energy. GRACE demonstrated a better approach: explicitly representing thousands of plausible future scenarios and choosing operating schedules that perform well across all of them.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

Energy Transmission and Infrastructure Northern Ohio (OH)

The objective of Energy Transmission and Infrastructure Northern Ohio (OH) was to lay the conceptual and analytical foundation for an energy economy in northern Ohio that will: • improve the efficiency with which energy is used in the residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and transportation sectors for Oberlin, Ohio as a district-wide model for Congressional District OH-09; • identify the potential to deploy wind and solar technologies and the most effective configuration for the regional energy system (i.e., the ratio of distributed or centralized power generation); • analyze the potential within the district to utilize farm wastes to produce biofuels; • enhance long-term energy security by identifying ways to deploy local resources and building Ohio-based enterprises; • identify the policy, regulatory, and financial barriers impeding development of a new energy system; and • improve energy infrastructure within Congressional District OH-09. This objective of laying the foundation for a renewable energy system in Ohio was achieved through four primary areas of activity: 1. district-wide energy infrastructure assessments and alternative-energy transmission studies; 2. energy infrastructure improvement projects undertaken by American Municipal Power (AMP) affiliates in the northern Ohio communities of Elmore, Oak Harbor, and Wellington; 3. Oberlin, OH-area energy assessment initiatives; and 4. a district-wide conference held in September 2011 to disseminate year-one findings. The grant supported 17 research studies by leading energy, policy, and financial specialists, including studies on: current energy use in the district and the Oberlin area; regional potential for energy generation from renewable sources such as solar power, wind, and farm-waste; energy and transportation strategies for transitioning the City of Oberlin entirely to renewable resources and considering pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation as well as drivers in developing transportation policies; energy audits and efficiency studies for Oberlin-area businesses and Oberlin College; identification of barriers to residential energy efficiency and development of programming to remove these barriers; mapping of the solar-photovoltaic and wind-energy supply chains in northwest Ohio; and opportunities for vehicle sharing and collaboration among the ten organizations in Lorain County from the private, government, non-profit, and educational sectors. With non-grant funds, organizations have begun or completed projects that drew on the findings of the studies, including: creation of a residential energy-efficiency program for the Oberlin community; installation of energy-efficient lighting in Oberlin College facilities; and development by the City of Oberlin and Oberlin College of a 2.27 megawatt solar photovoltaic facility that is expected to produce 3,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually, 12% of the College’s yearly power needs. Implementation of these and other projects is evidence of the economic feasibility and technical effectiveness of grant-supported studies, and additional projects are expected to advance to implementation in the coming years. The public has benefited through improved energy-delivery systems and reduced energy use for street lighting in Elmore, Oak Harbor, and Wellington; new opportunities for assistance and incentives for residential energy efficiency in the Oberlin community; new opportunities for financial and energy savings through vehicle collaboration within Lorain County; and decreased reliance on fossil fuels and expanded production of renewable energy in the region. The dissemination conference and the summary report developed for the conference also benefited the public, but making the findings and recommendations of the regional studies broadly available to elected officials, city managers, educators, representatives of the private sector, and the general public.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2016

Technical Advisor to the American Indian Research and Education Initiatives (AIREI).

The American Indian Research & Education Initiative (AIREI) is a pilot program that started in 2011 and is funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Economic Impact & Diversity and National Nuclear Security Administration in partnership with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. AIREI brings science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education funding to Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) and other US universities. AIREI has funded eight schools, including four pairs of tribal colleges and mainstream universities, in order for student and faculty research teams to bring energy projects to tribal lands. The research team from Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) has performed a student-centric research and analysis feasibility study of a potential utility-scale solar power plant on the Jemez Pueblo reservation trust land. The research team from Navajo Technical University (NTU) and Arizona State University (ASU) has assessed the effectiveness of solar photovoltaic (PV) system designs in meeting the electricity demands of Navajo Tribal homes and public buildings in addition to the development of a solar technology curriculum that incorporates the outcomes of this study, helping to advance PV system design and installations on local Tribal lands. The Little Big Horn College (LBHC) and Montana State University-Bozeman (MSUB) team has developed fast growing strains of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria to help advance carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. The research supported the Crow Nation reservation as it evaluates opportunities for coal-to-liquid fuel and CCS projects. The Sinte Gleska University (SGU) and South Dakota School of Mines (SDSM) team developed computer modeling and simulation technologies to evaluate the feasibility of oil and gas development from the Niobrara Formation on the Rosebud Sioux reservation. Through this project, the students developed skills in applied energy-related research involving computer simulation, chemistry, geology, and petroleum engineering. AIREI supports collaboration between these universities and connects the teams with the technological expertise and mentorship opportunities provided through Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia). AIHEC consists of 37 American Indian tribally controlled colleges around the nation and provides technical assistance through professional development workshops, strategic planning meetings, and information sharing strategies.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS2014

Lunar Flashlight: Mapping Lunar Surface Volatiles Using a Cubesat

Water ice and other volatiles may be located in the Moon's polar regions, with sufficient quantities for in situ extraction and utilization by future human and robotic missions. Evidence from orbiting spacecraft and the LCROSS impactor suggests the presence of surface and/or nearsurface volatiles, including water ice. These deposits are of interest to human exploration to understand their potential for use by astronauts. Understanding the composition, quantity, distribution, and form of water/H species and other volatiles associated with lunar cold traps is identified as a NASA Strategic Knowledge Gap (SKG) for Human Exploration. These polar volatile deposits could also reveal important information about the delivery of water to the Earth- Moon system, so are of scientific interest. The scientific exploration of the lunar polar regions was one of the key recommendations of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. In order to address NASA's SKGs, the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program selected three lowcost 6-U CubeSat missions for launch as secondary payloads on the first test flight (EM1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled for 2017. The Lunar Flashlight mission was selected as one of these missions, specifically to address the SKG associated with lunar volatiles. Development of the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat concept leverages JPL's Interplanetary Nano- Spacecraft Pathfinder In Relevant Environment (INSPIRE) mission, MSFC's intimate knowledge of the Space Launch System and EM-1 mission, small business development of solar sail and electric propulsion hardware, and JPL experience with specialized miniature sensors. The goal of Lunar Flashlight is to determine the presence or absence of exposed water ice and its physical state, and map its concentration at the kilometer scale within the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. After being ejected in cislunar space by SLS, Lunar Flashlight deploys its solar panels and solar sail and maneuvers into a low-energy transfer to lunar orbit. The solar sail and attitude control system work to bring the satellite into an elliptical polar orbit spiraling down to a perilune of 30-10 km above the south pole for data collection. Lunar Flashlight uses its solar sail to shine reflected sunlight into permanently shadowed regions, measuring surface albedo with a four-filter point spectrometer at 1.1, 1.5 1.9, and 2.0 microns. Water ice will be distinguished from dry regolith from these measurements in two ways: 1) spatial variations in absolute reflectance (water ice is much brighter in the continuum channels), and 2) reflectance ratios between absorption and continuum channels. Derived reflectance and reflectance ratios will be mapped onto the lunar surface in order to distinguish the composition of the PSRs from that of the sunlit terrain. Lunar Flashlight enables a low-cost path to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) by identifying operationally useful deposits (if there are any), which is a game-changing capability for expanded human exploration.

Cohen, B. A.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Solar Stirling power generation - Systems analysis and preliminary tests

The feasibility of an electric power generation system utilizing a sun-tracking parabolic concentrator and a Stirling engine/linear alternator is being evaluated. Performance predictions and cost analysis of a proposed large distributed system are discussed. Design details and preliminary test results are presented for a 9.5 ft diameter parabolic dish at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Caltech) Table Mountain Test Facility. Low temperature calorimetric measurements were conducted to evaluate the concentrator performance, and a helium flow system is being used to test the solar receiver at anticipated working fluid temperatures (up to 650 or 1200 C) to evaluate the receiver thermal performance. The receiver body is designed to adapt to a free-piston Stirling engine which powers a linear alternator assembly for direct electric power generation. During the next phase of the program, experiments with an engine and receiver integrated into the concentrator assembly are planned.

Selcuk, M. K.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Mechanical design engineering. NASA/university advanced design program: Lunar Bulk Material Transport Vehicle

The design of a Lunar Bulk Material Transport Vehicle (LBMTV) is discussed. Goals set in the project include a payload of 50 cubic feet of lunar soil with a lunar of approximately 800 moon-pounds, a speed of 15 mph, and the ability to handle a grade of 20 percent. Thermal control, an articulated steering mechanism, a dump mechanism, a self-righting mechanism, viable power sources, and a probable control panel are analyzed. The thermal control system involves the use of small strip heaters to heat the housing of electronic equipment in the absence of sufficient solar radiation and multi-layer insulation during periods of intense solar radiation. The entire system uses only 10 W and weighs about 60 pounds, or 10 moon-pounds. The steering mechanism is an articulated steering joint at the center of the vehicle. It utilizes two actuators and yields a turning radius of 10.3 feet. The dump mechanism rotates the bulk material container through an angle of 100 degree using one actuator. The self-righting mechanism consists of two four bar linkages, each of which is powered by the same size actuator as the other linkages. The LBMTV is powered by rechargeable batteries. A running time of at least two hours is attained under a worst case analysis. The weight of the batteries is 100 pounds. A control panel consisting of feedback and control instruments is described. The panel includes all critical information necessary to control the vehicle remotely. The LBMTV is capable of handling many types of cargo. It is able to interface with many types of removable bulk material containers. These containers are made to interface with the three-legged walker, SKITTER. The overall vehicle is about 15 feet in length and has a weight of about 1000 pounds, or 170 lunar pounds.

Daugherty, Paul↗

NASA NTRS1997

Design and Analysis of the Aperture Shield Assembly for a Space Solar Receiver

A joint U.S./Russia program has been conducted to design, develop, fabricate, launch, and operate the world's first space solar dynamic power system on the Russian Space Station Mir. The goal of the program was to demonstrate and confirm that solar dynamic power systems are viable for future space applications such as the International Space Station (ISS). The major components of the system include a solar receiver, a closed Brayton cycle power conversion unit, a power conditioning and control unit, a solar concentrator, a radiator, a thermal control system, and a Space Shuttle carrier. Unfortunately, the mission was demanifested from the ISS Phase 1 Space Shuttle Program in 1996. However, NASA Lewis is proposing to use the fabricated flight hardware as part of an all-American flight demonstration on the ISS in 2002. The present paper concerns the design and analysis of the solar receiver aperture shield assembly. The aperture shield assembly comprises the front face of the cylindrical receiver and is located at the focal plane of the solar concentrator. The aperture shield assembly is a critical component that protects the solar receiver structure from highly concentrated solar fluxes during concentrator off-pointing events. A full-size aperture shield assembly was fabricated. This unit was essentially identical to the flight configuration, with the exception of materials substitution. In addition, a thermal shock test aperture shield assembly was fabricated. This test article utilized the flight materials and was used for high-flux testing in the solar simulator test rig at NASA Lewis. This testing is described in a companion paper.

Strumpf, Hal J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mission Operations, Cubed: NASA Marshall Operations Support for SmallSats

SmallSats have come a long way since the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center supported its first “minisatellite” mission in 2010. And just as SmallSats themselves have evolved in those 12 years, so too has the HOSC’s mission support for SmallSats. Marshall Space Flight Center has a long history with payload and mission operations, including support for the Apollo missions to the moon, the Space Shuttle program, and 21 years of continuous around-the-clock science operations support for research aboard the International Space Station. Today, the HOSC is a multi-tenant facility, supporting not only ISS, but also NASA’s Commercial Crew program, the Space Launch System, the Hubble and Chandra observatories and others – including multiple SmallSat missions. Two SmallSat solar sail missions will be among those taking advantage of the HOSC’s resources for planning, training for and executing mission operations – the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout and Solar Cruiser missions. One of 10 6U CubeSats manifest on the Artemis I launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket this year, NEA Scout’s three-year mission will be supported through a more traditional operations concept, with a dedicated Flight Controller staff operating within the HOSC. Scheduled to launch as part of the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) in February 2025, Solar Cruiser’s 11-month mission will take a next-generation approach to operations by utilizing a multi-mission flight controller concept, as well as Marshall’s Telescience Resource Kit (TreK). TreK provides a suite of software applications and libraries that allow the Mission Operations Center to serve as an in-house ground system which incorporates remote and automation capability options for engineers and scientists. This presentation will compare the approaches the HOSC will use to support these two missions as a way of demonstrating the array of options NASA MSFC offers for operations support for CubeSat and SmallSat missions.

Darren S Wallace↗

DOE OSTI2017

Oil and gas produced water as a growth medium for microalgae cultivation: A review and feasibility analysis

Scale-up of microalgal biotechnology to provide large quantities of biofuel, lipids, and coproducts is not fully developed because of the large needs for nutrients, water, land, solar insolation, and CO 2 /carbon supplies. Wastewaters, including oil and gas produced water (PW), may supply a portion of these needs in regions with insufficient fresh water resources. PW is a challenging water resource for this use because of variable salinity, geochemical complexity, and the presence of biologically toxic components. In this paper we review PW volumes, quality, and use in media for microalgae production in the southwestern US, Australia, and Oman. We also include data from the southwestern US, referencing previously unpublished results from the National Alliance for Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) consortium research project. We include a Supplementary Information section that explores cultivation of multiple microalgae species in PW and examines the carbon utilization process, all work performed in support of the NAABB field program. Strains of algae tested in the reviewed papers include Nannochloropsis , Dunalliella , Scenedesmus , and several mixed or unknown cultures. We conclude that the use of PW in algae cultivation is feasible, if the additional complexity of the water resource is accounted for in developing media formulations and in understanding metals uptake by the algae. We recommend additional work to standardize growth testing in PW, better and more thorough chemical analysis, and geochemical modeling of the PW used in media. As a result, expanded strain testing in PW media will identify improved strains tolerant of PW in algae cultivation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗