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Comets, asteroids and other small bodies found in the solar system do not possess enough gravity to ensure spacecraft contact forces sufficient to allow many types of in situ science, such as core or surface sampling.
Topics covered include: Measurement and Controls Data Acquisition System IMU/GPS System Provides Position and Attitude Data Using Artificial Intelligence to Inform Pilots of Weather Fast Lossless Compression of Multispectral-Image Data Developing Signal-Pattern-Recognition Programs Implementing Access to Data Distributed on Many Processors Compact, Efficient Drive Circuit for a Piezoelectric Pump; Dual Common Planes for Time Multiplexing of Dual-Color QWIPs; MMIC Power Amplifier Puts Out 40 mW From 75 to 110 GHz; 2D/3D Visual Tracker for Rover Mast; Adding Hierarchical Objects to Relational Database General-Purpose XML-Based Information Managements; Vaporizable Scaffolds for Fabricating Thermoelectric Modules; Producing Quantum Dots by Spray Pyrolysis; Mobile Robot for Exploring Cold Liquid/Solid Environments; System Would Acquire Core and Powder Samples of Rocks; Improved Fabrication of Lithium Films Having Micron Features; Manufacture of Regularly Shaped Sol-Gel Pellets; Regulating Glucose and pH, and Monitoring Oxygen in a Bioreactor; Satellite Multiangle Spectropolarimetric Imaging of Aerosols; Interferometric System for Measuring Thickness of Sea Ice; Microscale Regenerative Heat Exchanger Protocols for Handling Messages Between Simulation Computers Statistical Detection of Atypical Aircraft Flights NASA's Aviation Safety and Modeling Project Multimode-Guided-Wave Ultrasonic Scanning of Materials Algorithms for Maneuvering Spacecraft Around Small Bodies Improved Solar-Radiation-Pressure Models for GPS Satellites Measuring Attitude of a Large, Flexible, Orbiting Structure
Curation of extraterrestrial samples is the critical interface between sample return missions and the international research community. Curation includes documentation, preservation, preparation, and distribution of samples. The current collections of extraterrestrial samples include: Lunar rocks / soils collected by the Apollo astronauts Meteorites, including samples of asteroids, the Moon, and Mars "Cosmic dust" (asteroid and comet particles) collected by high-altitude aircraft Solar wind atoms collected by the Genesis spacecraft Comet particles collected by the Stardust spacecraft Interstellar dust collected by the Stardust spacecraft Asteroid particles collected by the Hayabusa spacecraft These samples were formed in environments strikingly different from that on Earth. Terrestrial contamination can destroy much of the scientific significance of many extraterrestrial materials. In order to preserve the research value of these precious samples, contamination must be minimized, understood, and documented. In addition the samples must be preserved - as far as possible - from physical and chemical alteration. In 2011 NASA selected the OSIRIS-REx mission, designed to return samples from the primitive asteroid 1999 RQ36 (Bennu). JAXA will sample C-class asteroid 1999 JU3 with the Hayabusa-2 mission. ESA is considering the near-Earth asteroid sample return mission Marco Polo-R. The Decadal Survey listed the first lander in a Mars sample return campaign as its highest priority flagship-class mission, with sample return from the South Pole-Aitken basin and the surface of a comet among additional top priorities. The latest NASA budget proposal includes a mission to capture a 5-10 m asteroid and return it to the vicinity of the Moon as a target for future sampling. Samples, tools, containers, and contamination witness materials from any of these missions carry unique requirements for acquisition and curation. Some of these requirements represent significant advances over methods currently used. New analytical and screening techniques will increase the value of current sample collections. Improved web-based tools will make information on all samples more accessible to researchers and the public. Advanced curation of current and future extraterrestrial samples includes: Contamination Control - inorganic / organic Temperature of preservation - subfreezing / cryogenic Non-destructive preliminary examination - X-ray tomography / XRF mapping / Raman mapping Microscopic samples - handling / sectioning / transport Special samples - unopened lunar cores Informatics - online catalogs / community-based characterization.
This paper presents a number of lessons learned while designing a proposed sterilization system for Mars Sample Return. This sterilization system is needed to inactivate any potentially hazardous Mars material on the exterior surface of the vessel containing sealed sample tubes filled with Mars rock cores, regolith and atmosphere. These returned samples would provide information on the geologic history of Mars, the evolution of its climate and the potential for ancient life. Mars Sample Return is categorized at Planetary Protection Category V Restricted Earth Return, so it is required to protect the Earth–Moon system from the biological impact of returning samples from Mars to Earth. This article reviews lessons learned in the development of a particular engineering implementation to support the protection of the Earth–Moon biosphere: the use of in situ ultraviolet LED illumination. The details of the biological efficacy of this approach or the policy-related impacts are outside of the scope of this manuscript. The lessons learned presented here include establishing design requirements for the system, the selection of a light source, optical design options, contamination control and approaches to thermal and power management.
As an alternative to in-core neutron irradiations which are lengthy and costly, ex-core irradiations with energetic ions are envisioned as a possible way to probe the irradiation response of zirconium alloys used in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Such ion irradiations, being well-controlled experiments, could offer a powerful, easier, and quicker way to study irradiation induced microstructural changes without remote handling that typically lead to structural component dimensional change (such as irradiation growth). Thus these irradiation experiments could help in the development of advanced dimensionally stable and deformation resistant alloys. For this matter, an initial investigation was performed to determine the feasibility of using ex-core ions to develop irradiation damage typically observed after neutron irradiation in Westinghouse's ZIRLO alloy. In-situ ion irradiations of ZIRLO alloy were conducted at the IVEM-Tandem Facility at Argonne National Laboratory at different dose levels and at different temperatures. The initial goal is to induce radiation damage of similar levels (in terms of dpa) to what develops during in-core neutron irradiation and analyze the potential of using ion irradiation as a substitute for in core neutron irradiation of Zr alloys. To facilitate comparison and convergence to in-core neutron irradiation, samples were ion irradiated in transmission and the amount of dpa developed during the ion irradiation was calculated using monte-Carlo based SRIM code. The TEM observations showed that the ion irradiation induced microstructure consisted of - and -type dislocation loops with the -loops developing at a later stage than the - loops, similarly to irradiation damage typically induced in neutron irradiated zirconium alloys. The study offers promises that heavy ion irradiation could potentially, under well-chosen conditions, be used to simulate neutron irradiation damage in PWRs. (authors)
Uranium mononitride (UN) has been identified as a candidate nuclear fuel for use in the current US light water reactor (LWR) fleet as well as in next generation nuclear plants (NGNP), largely due to its high uranium density and thermal conductivity. However, its hydrothermal corrosion performance in accident scenarios has not been thoroughly investigated. In this work, UN was synthesized using a hydride-de-hydride-nitride thermal synthesis route prior to sintering into dense compacts (> 90% TD). The compacts were corroded in a water filled autoclave up to 350 Celsius degrees and 125 atm. The kinetics of corrosion were characterized through phase analysis, mass loss, and microstructural analysis. The phases observed after hydrothermal corrosion correspond only to UN, UO{sub 2}, and UN{sub 2}; no U{sub 2}N{sub 3} was observed. Additionally, it appears that nitrogen uptake into the lattice of the solid product is a product of lattice strain and peak broadening, especially of the UN{sub 2} phase. UO{sub 2} appears to nucleate on the surface of the UN-UO{sub 2} monoliths and consumes the UN grain boundaries which suggests that in pure UN, UO{sub 2} formation proceeds from the surface and moves towards the core, but in samples with nominal concentrations of UO{sub 2}, oxidation from hydrolysis occurs throughout the bulk of the monoliths. Furthermore, it was demonstrated here that UN and UN-UO{sub 2} composites perform better than previously reported in the literature.
At the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Maywood Superfund Site (FMSS) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has performed minimally intrusive (i.e. non-excavation) sub-surface investigations in soils, underneath roadways, and within buildings to generate information needed to determine whether contaminated material was present and to delineate the nature and extent. Given that thorium-232 (Th-232) contaminated material is present below various surfaces and that the current iteration of the Multi-Agency Radiation survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM) has only marginal guidance on evaluating and releasing subsurface data, survey design and implementation required detailed up front planning and post investigation analysis and reporting. This paper will discuss the approaches USACE utilized during a recent roadway investigation, some of the challenges encountered, a discussion of techniques used and results obtained, and an overall summary of pitfalls identified and lessons learned for future efforts. In order to evaluate selected areas, direct push technology was utilized in conjunction with plastic tubing to facilitate core capture and sample collection. PVC piping was inserted in each bore hole to prevent borehole collapse and facilitate downhole gamma logging. Soil samples were collected from the surface, from native material or the bottom of the boring, and from the interval or intervals which exhibited elevated downhole gamma readings, and from areas with an identifiable marker of contamination (i.e. soil discoloration) at the judgement of the field staff. Data was collected and evaluated using the approaches laid out in MARSSIM as best possible. As MARSSIM was developed to only address surface contamination, USACE, in agreement with regulators and stakeholders, utilized a 'varying plane' approach, where samples are evaluated as if on a single plane, and only the highest concentration encountered at any point is considered. Because the areas investigated were not easily cast into simple geometric shapes adhering to MARSSIM design criteria, it was important to ensure that Survey Unit design for Class 1 Survey Units were reasonable. All Class 1 SUs were contiguous survey units. Class 2 survey units were allowed to be non-contiguous provided that they are situated in close proximity to one another and share the same geology, conceptual site model, history, and radionuclide concentrations. The information contained in this paper will benefit Projects working with subsurface contamination which may require subsurface investigation and an understanding of the logistical, technological, and regulatory challenges. The ultimate outcome of this effort was the successful delineation of areas of contamination which will facilitate current utility work and guide future remediation. (authors)
The ESS-DIVE sample identifiers and metadata reporting format primarily follows the System for Earth Sample Registration (SESAR) Global Sample Number (IGSN) guide and template, with modifications to address Environmental Systems Science (ESS) sample needs and practicalities (IGSN-ESS). IGSNs are associated with standardized metadata to characterize a variety of different sample types (e.g. object type, material) and describe sample collection details (e.g. latitude, longitude, environmental context, date, collection method). Globally unique sample identifiers, particularly IGSNs, facilitate sample discovery, tracking, and reuse; they are especially useful when sample data is shared with collaborators, sent to different laboratories or user facilities for analyses, or distributed in different data files, datasets, and/or publications. To develop recommendations for multidisciplinary ecosystem and environmental sciences, we first conducted research on related sample standards and templates. We provide a comparison of existing sample reporting conventions, which includes mapping metadata elements across existing standards and Environment Ontology (ENVO) terms for sample object types and environmental materials. We worked with eight U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded projects, including those from Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Subsurface Biogeochemical Research Scientific Focus Areas. Project scientists tested the process of registering samples for IGSNs and associated metadata in workflows for multidisciplinary ecosystem sciences. We provide modified IGSN metadata guidelines to account for needs of a variety of related biological and environmental samples. While generally following the IGSN core descriptive metadata schema, we provide recommendations for extending sample type terms, and connecting to related templates geared towards biodiversity (Darwin Core) and genomic (Minimum Information about any Sequence, MIxS) samples and specimens. ESS-DIVE recommends registering samples for IGSNs through SESAR, and we include instructions for registration using the IGSN-ESS guidelines. Our resulting sample reporting guidelines, template (IGSN-ESS), and identifier approach can be used by any researcher with sample data for ecosystem sciences.
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the ability to meet the need to measure distributions of physical and biological properties of the ocean over large areas synoptically and over long time periods by means of remote sensing utilizing contemporaneous buoy, ship, aircraft, and satellite (i.e., multiplatform) sampling strategies. A mapping of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll fields in a Gulf Stream warm core ring using the multiplatform approach is described. Sampling capabilities of each sensing system are discussed as background for the data collected by means of these three dissimilar methods. Commensurate space/time sample sets from each sensing system are compared, and their relative accuracies in space and time are determined. The three-dimensional composite maps derived from the data set provide a synoptic perspective unobtainable from single platforms alone.
Short powder-in-tube tapes of MgB{sub 2} in the Fe sheath were fabricated by ex situ route from a commercial powder containing some free Mg and MgO impurity phases. The final heat treatment was performed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Tapes were with open (OT) or closed (CT) endings. Closed endings were made by folding and pressing. The MgB{sub 2} core of the OT sample has shown a higher low-field critical current density, a higher maximum pinning force, a slightly higher disorder, smaller average MgB{sub 2} crystallite size, a weak contact between Fe and MgB{sub 2} core, and more macro-flux jumps. The upper and irreversibility fields were similar for OT and CT samples. In the center of the MgB{sub 2} cores, the detected impurity phase is MgO, while at the interface with Fe, MgB{sub 4} also occurs. Impurity phases found at interface, MgO and MgB{sub 4}, are present in the center of the bulk SPSed samples. Reactions and pinning-force-related parameters are discussed with respect to Mg behavior influenced by condition of endings. It is inferred that the presence of free Mg in the raw MgB{sub 2} powder has an important contribution to observed differences, and its removal or control is recommended.
A prototype low-force rotary-percussive rock coring tool for use in acquiring samples for geological surveys in future planetary missions was developed. The coring tool could eventually enable a lightweight robotic system to operate from a relatively small (less than 200 kg) mobile or fixed platform to acquire and cache Mars or other planetary rock samples for eventual return to Earth for analysis. To gain insight needed to design an integrated coring tool, the coring ability of commercially available coring bits was evaluated for effectiveness of varying key parameters: weight-on-bit, rotation speed, percussive rate and force. Trade studies were performed for different methods of breaking a core at its base and for retaining the core in a sleeve to facilitate sample transfer. This led to a custom coring tool design which incorporated coring, core breakage, core retention, and core extraction functions. The coring tool was tested on several types of rock and demonstrated the overall feasibility of this approach for robotic rock sample acquisition.
The Hekpoort paleosols comprise a regional paleoweathering horizon developed on 2.224 +/- 0.021 Ga basaltic andesite lavas at the top of the Hekpoort Formation of the Pretoria Group, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. In five separate profiles, from outcrops along road cuts near Waterval Onder and the Daspoort Tunnel and in three drill cores from the Bank Break Area (BB3, BB8, and BB14), the top of the paleosol is a sericite-rich zone. The sericite zone grades downward into a chlorite-rich zone. In core BB8 and in the road cut at the Daspoort Tunnel, we sampled the underlying or parent basaltic andesite into which the chlorite zone grades. We did not obtain samples of the parent material at Waterval Onder and in cores BB3 and BB14, but chemical analyses indicate that the chlorite and sericite zones in these profiles derive from underlying lavas similar to the ones we sampled in core BB8 and at the Daspoort Tunnel. The presence of apparent rip-up clasts of the paleosol in the overlying ironstones of the Strubenkop Formation in the cores from Bank Break makes it very unlikely that most of the alteration was a result of interactions with hydrothermal fluids. Desiccation cracks at the top of the paleosol that were filled with sand during the deposition of the overlying sediments at Waterval Onder point to a subaerial weathering origin. Very little, if any, Al, Ti, Zr, V, or Cr moved a discernible distance during weathering of any of the five profiles. The vertical distribution of Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Co indicates that these elements were largely removed from the top of the soil during weathering. The overall abundance of these elements in each of the profiles indicates that a significant fraction of the complement lost from the top subsequently reprecipitated in the lower portion of the soil as constituents of an Fe2(+) -rich smectite. The loss of Fe from the top of the soil during weathering of the Hekpoort paleosols indicates that atmospheric PO2 was less than 8 x 10(-4) atm about 2.22 Ga. Fe2(+) -rich smectite should only precipitate during soil formation if atmospheric PCO2 is less than or equal to 2 x 10(-2) atm (Rye, Kuo, and Holland, 1995). Ca and Na were largely lost during weathering. Some Na was apparently added to the sericite zone in cores BB3, BB8, and BB14 after weathering. All five profiles are enriched in K and Rb, and most are enriched in Ba. The distribution of these elements indicates that they all were added during post-weathering hydrothermal metasomatism. Rb-Sr analysis of the paleosol at the Daspoort Tunnel indicates that metasomatism last affected that profile 1.925 +/- 0.032 Ga (Macfarlane and Holland, 1991).
Carbonation treatment is a promising option to enhance recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) quality and eventually improve concrete performance. This study investigated the multi-scale mechanical properties of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) in a mature alite paste subjected to accelerated carbonation treatment by testing macro compressive strength, microhardness and nanoindentation. The results show that, carbonation treatment resulted in a heterogeneous distribution of carbonation products in the alite sample. Reinforcement of C-S-H by the randomly precipitated calcite and vaterite crystals prevailed over the nano-structural and compositional alteration of C-S-H induced by carbonation, leading to an increase of nano-indentation modulus at the edge of the sample. Also, the microhardness at the edge zone was markedly higher than that at the core of the carbonated sample. The carbonated peripheral zone with improved nano-scale modulus and microhardness was likely serving as a “hard shell”, contributing to the improved macro compressive strength. The new insights into the multi-scale mechanical properties of carbonated C-S-H contribute to further understanding of the enhanced properties of RCA after carbonation treatment.
The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Morgantown site were used to characterize 9 different core sections of Upper Ordovician black shale from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The samples are representative of the upper Ordovician Martinsburg Formation, a Utica Shale equivalent, which is a carbonaceous black shale in the Appalachian Basin. The primary impetus of this work was to develop a standardized methodology for the rapid and detailed characterization of chemical composition, physical characteristics, and internal micro structure of lithologic samples with the NETL core characterization equipment. Having a standardized methodology combining these innovative techniques allows large, rapidly produced data sets to be available for multiple researchers and allows collaborative studies. The resultant data sets are presented as part of this report as well and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system (https://edx.netl.doe.gov) using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/martinsburg-formation-ct-data. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations to be performed on these cores with the additional information gathered through these tests. None of the equipment used was suitable for direct visualization of the shale pore space, though fractures and discontinuities were visible and detectable with all methods tested. High resolution CT imagery with the NETL industrial CT scanner was a powerful and insightful way to examine the details of fractures, discontinuities, minerals, and large crystals within the shale, but was time consuming both in image capture and analysis. As such, only a small percentage of the core was scanned at high resolution. Low resolution CT imagery with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on the entire core. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with the measurements from the multi-sensor core logger (including x-ray fluorescence, XRF, measurements) were very useful in identifying zones of interest for more detailed analysis and fractured zones. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of all methods used provided a multi-scale analysis of this core and provided both a macro and micro description of the core that is relevant for many subsurface energy related examinations of core that have traditionally been performed at NETL.
The Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) project aims to demonstrate the utility of "in situ resource utilization". In situ resource utilization (ISRU) is a way to rebalance the economics of spaceflight by reducing or eliminating materials that must be brought up from Earth and placed on the surface of the Moon for human use. RESOLVE is developing a rover-borne payload that (1) can locate near subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile-bearing regolith, and (3) demonstrate the form, extractability and usefulness of the materials. Such investigations are important not only for ISRU but are also critically important for understanding the scientific nature of these intriguing lunar polar volatile deposits. Temperature models and orbital data suggest near surface volatile concentrations may exist at briefly lit lunar polar locations outside persistently shadowed regions. A lunar rover could be remotely operated at some of these locations for the 4-7 days of expected sunlight at relatively low cost. In July 2012 the RESOLVE project conducted a full-scale field demonstration. In particular, the ability to perform the real-time measurement analysis necessary to search for volatiles and the ability to combine the various measurement techniques to meet the mission measurement and science goals. With help from the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), a lunar rover prototype (provided by the Canadian Space Agency) was equipped with prospecting instruments (neutron spectrometer and near-infrared spectrometer), subsurface access and sampling tools, including both an auger and coring drill (provided by CSA) and subsurface sample analysis instrumentation, including a sample oven system, the Oxygen and Volatile Extraction Node (OVEN), and Gas Chromatograph / Mass Spectrometer system, the Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) system. Given the relatively short time period this lunar mission is being designed to, prospecting needs to occur in near real-time. The two prospecting instruments are the neutron and NIR spectrometers. In the field demo a small radioactive source was provided the neutron flux. The NIR spectrometer, which includes its own light source, looks at surface reflectance for signatures of bound H20/0H and general mineralogy. Once a "hot spot" was found by the prospecting instruments, the drill could either auger or core. The auger drill worked to a depth of 50 cm and is monitored with a drill camera and the NIR spectrometer. As cuttings are brought up the NIR spectra is monitored. If a particular location is considered of high -interest then the decision to core could be made. The coring drill (a push-tube) allowed a meter sample to be acquired processed by the OVEN/LAVA sys-tem. This presentation will provide details as how these instruments worked together and how and if the planned measurements and science was obtained.
CO2 geological storage in deep saline aquifers is a mitigation option for CO2 emissions due to its large storage capacity and immediate accessibility. Accurately determining the CO2-brine relative permeability curves is key to the evaluation of CO2 injectivity and sweep efficiency in reservoir simulation as well as the CO2 injection in the field. This study highlights the remarkable effects of sub-core scale heterogeneity on the CO2-brine multiphase flow properties of the Minnelusa Sandstone in Wyoming. Two unsteady state CO2-brine drainage experiments were performed on the two samples. The first sample exhibits slanted laminated structure, while the second one represents a more homogeneous sandstone system. The CO2 saturation distributions during drainage reveals that the main variation in multiphase flow properties of two core samples were attributed to the porosity distribution that leads to the capillary pressure heterogeneity. Assisted history matching was used to obtain the respective relative permeability curves, which suggests heterogeneity-dependent behavior. In addition, sensitive and uncertainty analyses indicate that physical and petro-physical properties of low-porosity and low-permeability bedding layers exert marked effects on CO2 front breakthrough time and brine production. The results presented in this study help to gain insight into the CO2-brine multiphase flow properties in heterogeneous sandstones and can pave the way for the upscaling of CO2 migration and field-scale simulation accurately. This work is funded under the Department of Energy CarbonSAFE program (awards DE-FE0031624 DE0031891).
This paper provides experimental evidence for the chemical structures of aliphatically substituted and bridged polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) species in gas-physe combustion environments. The identification of these single- and multicore aromatic species, which have been hypothesized to be important in PAH growth and soot nucleation, was made possible through a combination of sampling gaseous constituents from an atmospheric pressure inverse coflow diffusion flame of ethylene and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS). In these experiments, the flame-sampled components were ionized using a continuous VUV lamp at 10.0 eV and the ions were subsequently fragmented through collisions with Ar atoms in a collision-induced dissociation (CID) process. The resulting fragment ions, which were separated using a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer, were used to extract structural information about the sampled aromatic compounds. The high-resolution mass spectra revealed the presence of alkylated single-core aromatic compounds and the fragment ions that were observed correspond to the loss of saturated and unsaturated units containing up to a total of 6 carbon atoms. Furthermore, the aromatic structures that form the foundational building blocks of the larger PAHs were identified to be smaller single-ring and pericondensed aromatic species with repetitive structural features. For demonstrative purposes, details are provided for the CID of molecular ions at masses 202 and 434. Insights into the role of the aliphatically substituted and bridged aromatics in the reaction network of PAH growth chemistry were obtained from spatially resolved measurements of the flame. The experimental results are consistent with a growth mechanism in which alkylated aromatics are oxidized to form pericondensed ring structures or react and recombine with other aromatics to form larger, potentially three-dimensional, aliphatically bridged multicore aromatic hydrocarbons.